Invisible
by Yue Guang Kuroneko
Summary: Some of the most important things in life are invisible. KyouyaxHaruhi
1. Chapter 1

**Title: _Invisible_  
Written by: **WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko**  
Pairing: **KyouyaxHaruhi**  
Rating: **K (for now)**  
Warning: **Slight OOCness!**  
**

**Disclaimer: **Ouran does not belong to us. Although, Kuron would really really like Kyouya to belong to her. xD**  
**

_**Invisible**  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)_

_-- _

Impatient and irritated, Haruhi sat by the window sipping her coffee slowly. She gazed at the bright blue sky and the soft white clouds, but the beautiful and calming sight did not soothe her burning temper. She watched people below walking by, looking like little ants, marching idly on the ground with no true destination. _But then again_, Haruhi thought to herself, taking another sip, _little ants never had little tufts of brown and black hair on their heads._

Her thoughts were interrupted by an outburst from the club's king, proclaiming that _this_ brand of instant coffee was _definitely_ the best commoner coffee that he had ever tasted. Haruhi willed her anger not to explode in front of those six handsome boys who had, literally, turned her life upside-down. Instead, she opted to bite her lip and allowed her irritation to simmer down to a low boil.

It was the rich spoiled brats of the host club that had been poking and prodding at her mood ever since this morning. Before, she would have chosen to tolerate it, but recently the Host Club had become more and more ignorant towards the simple things in Haruhi's everyday life—the things that Haruhi treasured.

It annoyed her that Tamaki made such a big deal about coffee. It annoyed her that the twins were intrigued by the grocery store. It annoyed her that the entire host club treated every aspect of her life like a different exhibit in a strange, alien zoo.

"You know, as a commoner, it is obvious that you do not have very much money. Therefore, would it not be more practical for you to be working to pay off your debt instead of daydreaming?"

The person that pushed her over the edge wasn't whom she expected. When she heard him say such an inconsiderate thing, she felt angry, and irritated to the fullest extent, but deep down inside, she was surprised that she felt slightly hurt.

She felt the pain and frustration well up within her, and before she exploded on him, she wondered to herself: _Why? Why do I feel a pain in my chest?_

Haruhi whipped around to face him, eyes ablaze.

"Is that all that matters to you, Kyouya-senpai? The money that I owe?" She snapped at him. "Sometimes I am forced to believe that you only consort with me because I have a large debt with this club. That's true, isn't it? Yes, you are smart, you are clever, and you are respected. But are you satisfied with that without important values?"

Kyouya blinked, making her feel stupid for bursting out in rambles. She figured that he probably did it on purpose for effect, since Hunny and Mori-senpai had taken notice of their heated conversation, but had politely decided not to interfere.

"I have many values, Fujioka Haruhi. I have principles that I choose to honor that I do not believe that you would understand," he expressed in an even tone. "Do not assume that I do not have principles simply because I do not fully understand yours."

Haruhi could see that she had insulted him as well, which was probably not the smartest thing to do in her current state. With his dead-set onyx eyes staring into hers, she could feel the white hot flame of his anger licking at her skin.

His silent anger made her feel faintly anxious.

"Senpai, there are some things in this world that are more important than anything else, and they can't be seen or touched." Her eyes were pleading with his now. Secretly she was disappointed that she couldn't drive her point home angrily.

"Yes, that is true. Power, for instance," he offered with a serious face.

Haruhi's expression turned sour.

"I mean things like a person's trust, not just power."

Kyouya shrugged indifferently, "It is necessary to have others' trust in order to make good of their services. It is how connections are made and sustained."

An impatient sigh left her lips, "No, I mean a person's trust just to _have_ it. Not to use it for something else."

He returned her statement with a blank stare. "Why would anyone benefit from something so useless?"

She shot him an offended glare, "It is _not_ useless. It's called friendship. You trust the others in the Host Club to a certain degree, I know. That is why you are all friends."

Kyouya paused and Haruhi seized it as her chance to attack. "You and I share some of the same invisible values, believe it or not. I know we do, because some of the values that we keep are intrinsic to human beings."

"Yes, that's true," Kyouya agreed. "I'm certain that we both share the drive to succeed… and the desire to please our family."

Haruhi laughed at the thought of her father, but felt the truth of that statement nonetheless. "And I'm sure as a member of the honorable Ootori family, you value respect and honor."

His posture straightened and he said coolly, "That is true. However, it is not necessarily true that you need to be from a prestigious family to want honor and respect. Your family deserves the same."

Haruhi thought about this and smiled at him warmly.

"I…apologize that I upset you, Haruhi."

Haruhi felt a little surprised. Did the Shadow King just _apologize_ to her?

"Oh, it's fine, senpai. I'm sorry I got angry with you."

As soon as those words left her lips, she felt a strange sensation in her chest. It was warm and fuzzy, like being embraced by a warm blanket. She only hoped she wasn't blushing as much as she felt she was.

At least he wasn't really looking.

"What about pursuit of intellectual enlightenment?" he tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"What about love?" She offered.

He responded to her warm smiling face with his own confused blank one.

"And…what about faith? That's pretty important to commoners…isn't it?" Kyouya offered lamely.

Haruhi laughed softly and offered him one of her smiles. He wasn't at all what everyone thought he was. He was a kind person, hidden underneath layers and layers of walls that would take centuries to break down. However, somehow, she knew that those layers would one day fall away by themselves and the inner him that made her heart stop lightly would appear, offering her one true smile and her hand.

"What. Are. You. DOING!" Her brain screamed at her as she stared down cluelessly at her outstretched hand.

Actually, it was Tamaki.

"I was going to read Kyouya-senpai's palm," Haruhi responded quickly. "It's an old gypsy trick that I know. I can read your future by looking at the palm of your hand."

Tamaki squealed with delight, "I wish to know of my destiny! Begin this commoner trick immediately!"

Haruhi's smile wavered. "I, uh…hm,"

She glanced around for support or for help of any sort, but Kyouya was now standing behind Tamaki taking notes.

"This could end up with the club generating twelve percent more profit…" Kyouya muttered thoughtfully and scribbled down a few more lines.

Haruhi groaned inwardly as she began telling Tamaki about his false future.

She was nearing the forecast of his future wife when she nearly missed Kyouya slipping her one of his soft smiles and a subtle wink. But of course, Fujioka Haruhi caught it and returned his gesture with one of her own smiles before returning her attention to the excited Host Club King.

There were some things that were invisible, after all…

--

** Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Review if you liked it, and review if you would like to see future chapters.  
-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Just so you all know, most of this story belongs to Wraith-san. He started it, I edited it, and all of a sudden, I was roped into co-writing it with him. SO! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hopefully, there will be future chapters. xP


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing: **KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating: **K (for now)  
**Warning:** Slight OOCness!

**Disclaimer:** Ouran is not ours. This story is not kuron's. kuron is just a OOC-checker pawn. xD

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Tamaki sighed as he took his client's hand gently into his own, gazing at it softly. "My, your beautiful, dainty hand is as elegant and smooth as those of the finest royalty. Shall I tell you what your future holds, my princess?"

The girl swooned at the gypsy-clad king, and Haruhi sighed at the Host Club's most ridiculous idea yet. She tugged unconsciously at her own intricate gypsy costume, her mind set on all of the other costumes, which were made so that each of the host club members looked mysterious and enchanting at the same time.

"Ohh!"

Haruhi turned around upon hearing Hunny-senpai's voice.

"It looks like…treats! Lots and lots of yummy cake! Cake with me and Takashi! Will you let Bun-bun come too…? Wouldn't that be fun, Takashi?"

It appeared that Hunny was 'reading' the palm of one of his clients. His eyes looked especially large with the lower half of his face covered by a very gypsy-like cloth, and he was accompanied by Mori-senpai.

"Ah," he replied to Hunny's request.

Strolling away from the very tall and very short pair, Haruhi noticed the twins, but they didn't look like they were reading the palms of their customers…

"Kaoru…!"

"What's wrong, Hikaru? What is it that you see…?" Kaoru gasped, clearly held in suspense.

"Kaoru…I find it so hard to say this. But your future…it looks difficult. I foresee hardships and suffering in your future." Hikaru looked pained to have said those words to his beloved little brother. He clasped onto Kaoru's hand tightly.

"Oh, Hikaru! But, there is nothing that I can do… I can only try my hardest to survive it all…for you…" Kaoru wilted slowly in his arms.

"Don't worry, my dear Kaoru. I do not have to read your palm to know that I will always be with you…and I will help you in any way that I can."

Haruhi stared in disbelief as the twins stared into each other's eyes deeply.

"Hikaru…just the thought that you will be with me…_that_ will give me all of the strength that I need to survive!"

Haruhi would never understand why any girl would be so interested in the twins' behavior as much as their clients were. In fact, she couldn't understand why the host club existed in the first place. What she would give to be at home right now, studying for an upcoming exam in her peaceful home, undisturbed by the Host Club and its clients!

"This idea was a brilliant success."

Haruhi's thoughts were interrupted as a voice cut through her reverie.

Startled, she turned around to find a gypsy with a pair of spectacles taking a copious amount of notes in a neat scrawl. She wondered if he would be just as big of a know-it-all if he didn't take notes on every single little detail that happens within the club.

"This is the second day in a row that I've caught you neglecting your clients."

Haruhi crossed her arms defensively. "Are you here to start another argument with me, senpai?"

If Kyouya looked surprised at her blunt comment, he did quite a job at hiding it.

"No, I simply thought something might be hindering your work. I was merely concerned."

_Huh? Concerned?_ Haruhi stared dumbfounded at the note-taking gypsy. _Are you serious?_ _Does that mean he's opening up to me?_ she thought wryly.

"Without you entertaining our clients, today's plan isn't increasing our patronage as much as I had expected it to." Kyouya's brow furrowed in concentration and he pushed the glasses up his nose, eyes on his calculations.

_Figures,_ Haruhi sighed dejectedly.

"Do you believe that the future is pre-determined?" Kyouya asked suddenly, watching Tamaki read the palms of several girls who looked just about ready to faint.

"Um…" Haruhi was seriously contemplating on telling him that he was confusing her at this point, but decided that if she confronted him about his strange behavior, she probably wouldn't figure out what was bothering him, if it was anything at all.

"Actually, I believe that humans have free-will, so their futures should not be set into stone already," she explained to him.

He nodded his head before, "Are you familiar with physics, Haruhi?"

Haruhi sweatdropped. "Yes, senpai, I am."

_What in the world was he getting at?_

"Do you recall the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?"

Well, at least this was better than entertaining Tamaki's stupid outbursts.

"It states that one cannot accurately calculate the position _and_ the velocity of a particle at any point in time. The more accurately one is calculated, the less accurately the other is."

"Correct. Did you know that everything in the universe is made up of particles? Even feelings and emotions are simply a chain of chemicals and a sequence of electric signals of the brain." Kyouya was looking straight at her at this point. "It is theorized that if one knows the position and velocity of every single particle in the universe, that being can predict the future."

Haruhi stared at him rather blankly, "How does that work at all?"

"If you pushed me backwards, and there was a wall behind me, what do you suppose would happen?" he asked her plainly.

Haruhi tried to decipher his question for hidden meanings.

"It's not a trick question, Haruhi. Just answer what you think would happen."

She shook her head, "You would stumble backwards, then hit the wall and stop."

Kyouya nodded. "That's correct. If you know my position and you can estimate the velocity because you are the one who pushed me, then you can predict what happened."

"Oh! So obviously, if I know every particle's position and velocity then I should…be able to predict everything that would happen…ever," Haruhi deduced hesitantly. "But wait, the Uncertainty Principle states that we can't calculate both at the same time. So the future can't be set, right?"

"Wrong."

Haruhi's jaw dropped and wondered if he had somehow disproved a basic theory of physics. Considering this was Ootori Kyouya she was talking to, he might very well have done so.

"Simply because we cannot calculate the position and velocity of a particle does not mean that each particle doesn't have a position and velocity. Therefore…the future should be determined already, and there is nothing that we can do about it."

Haruhi stared. He had just proved the theory of pre-determination using physics.

She couldn't quite understand him. He was intelligent, cunning, and not to mention very good-looking, but why would such a potential man be chained by his family's business? Wouldn't he very much be far more successful if he had started his own business?

Kyouya only stared back and shrugged. "That theory would be flawless. However, there exists the outer space phenomena of the transformation of energy into matter and anti-matter and the existence of 'Ghost Particles,' concepts that tear apart that theory."

He continued to ramble on and on about more confusing things that she did not understand. She couldn't bring herself to interrupt him and stop, so she simply watched him speak.

Suddenly, she felt the stirrings of something unexpected awaken inside of her. What was that unfamiliar feeling that kept growing inside of her whenever she was aware of his presence?

Though she asked herself that question, she already knew the answer and she abandoned it. To say that Ootori Kyouya was a handsome gentleman would be stating the obvious, and his looks and manner stated it quite clearly enough.

Haruhi knew that she was attracted to him, but it was nothing more than a growing interest. The boy was handsome, smart, rich, and clever. It only served to help him that he was less annoying than the rest of the Host Club.

Secretly, it intrigued her that he should know so much and that he was so cunning.

But Haruhi was not an emotionally uneducated girl. She was not the type to throw her heart at certain boys because they possessed attractive qualities. While it would be unhealthy to bottle up her feelings, she knew it would be impossibly impractical to allow a relationship to develop on such untamed whims.

She settled to wait. She would starve out her interest in Ootori Kyouya. She had had great affection for several other boys, and dealt with her attraction in the same manner—she knew it would be unhealthy for her personal life.

Kyouya probably wouldn't make the best partner, either. He was an excellent, attractive person, but Haruhi needed someone caring and compassionate. She didn't think that the Host Club would be happy to hear it, but her needs probably would not be met by anyone in the club.

Besides, Ootori Kyouya would probably never be seen with a commoner. She was just another average girl from another average family- nothing like the beautiful princesses from prestigious families that he didn't even feel the slightest attraction for.

He must feel much less for her and Haruhi felt a twinge of regret over things that were out of her control.

"… and it's impossible for humans to explain with current technology. For example, particles or communicating with each other in an instant is still unclear. Even if the are millions of light years apart, they can still transmit information in an instant. It's a phenomena I don't think we can explain, at least not-"

Haruhi held up a hand to stop him, "Senpai, please. I believe I've had enough quantum physics for today."

Kyouya released a low, rare laugh. "That's true. Perhaps I was a little excessive. I suppose I just wanted to have a conversation with you."

This confused Haruhi more than the discussion they just had. She couldn't believe that _he_ wanted to have a conversation with _her,_ of all people. Of course, she enjoyed talking to him on an intellectual level and even felt _giddy_ at the fact that he wanted to speak with her.

Kyouya smiled at her, but she couldn't help but look confused at the entire incident, even though she could have sworn her heart rate increased just a little bit. He should really smile more—he was much more handsome that way. And thinking on his level, he would surely receive more designators and profits would rise substantially.

She was about to suggest smiling a bit more for (in his world) profit, but he interrupted. "Well, I can't tell the future…neither through palm reading nor quantum physics. But I think," He said with a smile, "that you are about to get back to work."

Haruhi was about to protest. There was something about talking to him that intrigued her. She felt different talking to him, different than talking to any of her other classmates, different from talking to her father. There was something there, a sliver of…what? She couldn't quite pin the feeling that grew in her chest as their eyes met.

He had dark eyes and when they were no longer hidden by the glare of his glasses, they were deep and filled with determination. Why hasn't she noticed them before? Although he usually placed on an emotionless mask, his eyes were passionate. What he was passionate about could have been money, wealth, power, but Haruhi knew better than that. What she wished to know now was what he was passionate about. Challenges? Obstacles? Life?

Something inside her fluttered once more as he smiled at her and walked away without another word.

"Um…Haruhi-kun…?"

Haruhi whirled around to discover three girls behind her. "Would you…mind giving us a reading…?" One of the girls asked shyly. The other two nodded their heads in agreement, and they looked at her with pleading eyes.

Haruhi looked back at Kyouya, who was now across the room. He was entertaining a few girls with conversation…probably something more engaging than physics. She felt a pang of something inside of her…could it be jealousy?

_No, of course not,_ she mentally slapped herself twice. _What is wrong with you, Fujioka Haruhi?_

She turned back around to face her clients and put a warm smile on her face. "It would be my pleasure. Who shall I read first?"

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: It looks like I filled up the entire chapter with science… mostly quantum physics, and a little chemistry between those two. Maybe I'm just teasing, those two should hop to it soon… XP

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: You don't know how difficult it was for me to understand that quantum physics bit. I AM STILL A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, DARN IT! –cries- But anyway, if you catch different writing styles, you all know why, ne? I hope you enjoyed chapter two!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)  
**Warning:** Slight OOCness!

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi walked towards her after school activity, dragging her feet heavily and sighing deeply. She was exhausted from such a busy day at school. She ran multiple errands for her teachers, was severely harassed by Tamaki when she showed up in the cafeteria with her humble bento, and not to mention that she didn't get much sleep the previous night because she was up late studying. Well, at least she did pretty well on her exams, so she planned to reward herself by sleeping the moment she returned home.

"Haruuu-chan!"

Haruhi was surprised by the petite senior jumping into her arms as she opened the door of the third music room.

"Picnic, picnic! A picnic, outside!" Hunny exclaimed with a large smile on his face.

Indeed, it did seem like the Host Club was preparing for a picnic outside. They were dressed in…well, she supposed that it was what wealthy people wore for _casual _clothing.

Haruhi shrugged as Hunny asked her whether she was happy about it or not. At least today would be more pleasant than usual; the weather outside was perfect for a picnic. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad day to stay with the host club a little while longer.

There would be plenty of food, after all.

"Welcome," greeted the Host Club.

Haruhi attempted to finish off one last piece of ootoro before their clients arrived.

"Woww-cuh," she tried to say with her mouth full.

The rest of the Host Club turned to face the offending party, who had already turned around to sneak another piece of ootoro off the tray. The girls giggled at her cute behavior.

"Welcome," Haruhi faced everyone and forced a wide smile onto her face. She had wanted to eat her fill before the customers showed up, but she wasn't able to finish.

_And it was so delicious,_ she sighed inwardly.

"Time to get to work," She overheard the twins snicker at her.

"Haruhi-kun… what do you do you think of Kyouya-kun…?"

The question snapped Haruhi out of her daydreaming.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

The girls sitting with Haruhi gave a short glance at each other quickly, and then seemed to telepathically agree upon something.

Haruhi was a girl, but she could've sworn that girls did not have telepathic powers.

_How in the world do they do that?_

"Well…you are in the Host Club with him…and you are both boys, so there are things that he probably tells you that he wouldn't tell girls, right?"

Haruhi made a mental face at the irony. If there were things that he wouldn't tell girls, then she definitely wouldn't know about them.

"If you like him, why don't you designate him instead of me?" Haruhi asked curiously.

The girls looked hurt, and Haruhi immediately reprimanded herself that she should have asked in a different way. She had forgotten that these girls were sensitive… well, at least, more sensitive than she was anyway.

"Haruhi-kun, we like you best! But…"

The girls looked at each other again. Haruhi suspected that they were up to something, but she would never be able to tell what. All she could call to mind is that she had noticed these three girls together somewhere else, so she deduced that they must be very close friends.

"…but we are trying to help our friend. We know how much she likes Kyouya-kun."

Upon hearing that, Haruhi felt a strange sensation almost take over her, but she fought it off and noticed that the girls were looking at something past her.

Willing herself to focus, she turned around and scanned the environment. _What could they be looking—oh, there._

Haruhi's attention was caught by a shy looking girl who was fiddling restlessly with her hands, who was sitting under the soft gaze of an intelligent, sophisticated-looking host.

Turning back around to face the girls, Haruhi took a deep breath. "Is that your friend…?"

All of the girls nodded.

Haruhi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What does she see in him anyway…?"

"Well, Kyouya-kun is very intelligent and clever…" One of the girls offered with a bright smile.

"He's very artistic too," sighed another.

"It's that slow, rare smile that he gives that makes him so attractive," The third one agreed.

Haruhi nodded her head in understanding, but truthfully she knew that Kyouya was different than the image that he cast when he was entertaining customers. She figured he would do anything for a profit anyway and it seemed to work magnificently.

"But…" spoke up one of the girls hesitantly.

"What is it?" Haruhi asked her encouragingly, ignoring the little warning voice at the back of her head.

"Well…she says that Kyouya-kun is really very kind and compassionate towards her."

Haruhi shook her head inwardly. _The_ Shadow King. Perhaps one of the last words to describe him would be compassiona—wait…

_The last time I had this feeling,_ she recalled thoughtfully, _was when I wondered why he was concerned for me, and when he was trying to have a conversation with me._

She shook her head to clear her mind of any thoughts of him, but her rebellious memory decided to flash his face; the same warm, gentle face that gave her that small, genuine smile, even as she was forced to read Tamaki's palm.

_Get out of my head, _she sent him a message psychically with an angry glare.

Haruhi sipped some of her water, forcing herself to push him into the deepest and darkest corners of her mind where he belonged._ He's caring and compassionate,_ her brain whispered. _Isn't that just what you wanted?_

Choking on her water, Haruhi immediately started coughing and gagging.

"Haruhi-kun!"

The three girls looked at each other alarmed, unsure of what they should do.

Haruhi felt like her lungs were on fire, and they gasped for air heavily—but nothing came.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand patting her back, and then rubbing large circles.

"Haruhi. Breathe."

_Oh, senpai,_ she thought to herself sadly. _Why do you keep trying to help me?_ _You aren't helping me to forget about you…_

Haruhi took a few deep breaths. She turned around to face him so that she could thank him properly.

"Eh?"

It was the only thing that she could utter when she came face to face with Morinozuka Takashi.

"Are you alright?"

"…Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Mori-senpai." Haruhi bowed her head.

"Oh, yes, yes! Thank you so very much for saving my daughter!" Tamaki cried. "My precious, precious daughter! Don't you ever, ever scare me like that again!"

Haruhi's head began to throb as Tamaki cradled her, swinging her back and forth while the customers watched, laughing and giggling off the shock of Haruhi choking.

"Milord is a pervert!" The twins sang.

The chaotic events following Haruhi's near-death experience camouflaged the talk between two mature men in the Host Club, shadowed by the trees that loomed over them.

"Instead of alerting me, why didn't you just help her yourself?"

Kyouya shrugged and answered, "It would generate more profit for you to be the hero of this incident. I am not known for being caring and compassionate within the Host Club as much as its other members."

Morinozuka Takashi stared blankly at Ootori Kyouya for a long period of time, as if he was trying to convey his thoughts to him. However, he walked away wordlessly, but Kyouya felt the well-known authority of his taciturnity.

"_There is more to your story than you say, Ootori Kyouya."_ Morinozuka stated clearly with his powerful gaze.

And Ootori Kyouya sensed a bit of truth behind those unspoken words.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Wow, it looks like most people like the science part…. Except for like one person who has a name that is something like YUE GUANG KURONEKKID or something. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed Haruhi's failed attempt to sort out her feelings for O.K. (Ootori Kyouya XP) Things could get complicated here…0:)

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Don't listen to the science freak who just spoke/typed above me. I liked the science part…what I didn't like was that I didn't understand it, so editing it was a pain in the kaboozle. But I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

-"bento" is a lunchbox that usually consists of rice and other small dishes packed inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)  
**Warning:** Slight OOCness!

**Wraith's Note:** Yesterday, we received an anonymous review from one username: Lily, stating that the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is chemistry, not physics, as it is a part of Quantum theory. We would like to straighten this out so as to prevent any further confusion. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle IS chemistry, that statement is 100 correct. However, quantum theory was merely used to construct the support for pre-determination.

However, Kyouya begins to discuss neutrinos, aka 'Ghost Particles.' The study of these particles is Quantum Mechanics, which is a branch of Quantum Physics. Therefore, Haruhi was correct in asking Kyouya not to continue with Quantum Physics, as he was no longer discussing the Quantum theory at the time of interruption, but physical systems BASED on the quantum theory.

Apologies for any confusion. Please enjoy this chapter!

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"Enough," Haruhi said to herself, placing down her teacup. She was going to stop thinking about him once and for all. This time, she meant what she said.

She opened up her textbook and began studying. Her eyes scanned the clean print, and she allowed her brain to soak in the information. Studying had always been something she enjoyed—it was quiet and peaceful when she studied and the trivial things in her life were melted away and appeared as knowledge.

She sighed when she was finished the page, and wondered haphazardly if Kyouya needed to study like this to get good gr-

_Shut up,_ she told her brain. Her imagination had the powerful ability to sneak in his neat, black hair, and it was beginning to form his straight, classy eyewear when she caught herself and forcibly returned her attention onto her textbook.

She quickly wrote down another scrap of important information that she stumbled across, but had to stop to erase a word that she had copied down illegibly.

_It really is too bad my writing isn't as neat as- _Haruhi froze.

… _The Hitachiin brothers,_ she concluded, feeling rather proud of herself; even though the twins' writing was truly nothing to be proud of.

One hour later, Haruhi stretched, her arms reaching for the ceiling. She had studied hard and her productivity was sure to pay off in class tomorrow.

"I deserve a break," she let out a small yawn, happy that she was able to keep herself from certain thoughts.

She was on her way to the bathroom when the phone rang.

"Hello, Fujioka residence," she answered pleasantly, still smiling lightly at her small accomplishment.

There was a pause on the other end.

"Ah, Haruhi. Is your father home?"

She froze. Why was he calling her father?

_I bet father decided to send more embarrassing pictures of me in middle school again,_ Haruhi thought, sweatdropping at the thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but he's not home. I apologize. Please call back another time. Goodbye!"

She hung up immediately and slid to the floor, hiding her face in her knees as she embraced them tightly.

"Why won't I stop thinking about him?" She murmured into her knees miserably. It was very unlike her to feel this way about an interest of hers—all of her past interests ended up fading away as she dealt with them as she normally would with any other person, but he was _different_.

She got up and entered the bathroom to splash water on her face. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she began to feel extremely irritated.

"Just stop trying so hard to not think about him, that's what's causing him to pop up everywhere," she reasoned to her mirror self.

"Who are you trying to forget about?"

Haruhi was startled to hear her father's voice through the bathroom door.

"No one," she answered, opening the door for her father.

Her father wagged a finger at her. "You know, it's not healthy to bottle up your feelings like that. Why don't you tell your daddy who you're talking about?"

Haruhi gave an exasperated sigh. Of course she knew that. _Then why am I doing it, _she asked herself skeptically.

"Now then, who is it that you're in love with, Haruhi?"

Haruhi's eyes went wide at his far-from-home remark.

"I never said that I was in love," she protested.

"Oh, but you don't have to say it for me to know," her father winked at her.

Haruhi groaned in frustration and her father placed her arm around her.

"You know, Haruhi…" he said, suddenly solemn. "You are acting the same way your mother did when I asked her out on a date for the first time."

"And what did she end up doing?" Haruhi asked slightly bitter. "Did she turn you down?"

"No," her father responded distantly. "She turned me down…but I begged for her to explore her feelings, even if she wasn't sure how she felt about me."

Haruhi stared at her father, who seemed to be looking at nothing in particular.

Haruhi mumbled something softly and Ranka turned to her, focusing his attention on her, rather than the distant memories of Fujioka Kotoko.

"What was that, Haruhi? I couldn't hear you, mumbling like that," he said.

Haruhi glared at him, and sighed impatiently.

"Ootori Kyouya," she muttered.

Her father stared. Then his mouth dropped open to form a big O. "K-Kyouya-kun!" he spluttered excitedly. "This is great! I have to tell him-"

"You _don't_ have to tell him anything, _father,_" she said firmly.

Just then, the phone rang, and both of them looked at it simultaneously.

"I'll get it!" they both exclaimed, but surprisingly, Ranka pushed her away from the phone just as her hand reached for it.

"Dad! What are you—!"Haruhi yelped in surprise as she literally flew into the couch.

"Helloo! This is the Fujioka residence," Haruhi's father winked at her, and she glared back at him, sprawled out on the couch.

"Oh, how are you, Kyouya-kun? We were just talking about you!"

_This couldn't be happening!_

"Oh, is that so? Well, I must apologize for my daughter's _rude_ behavior…I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive her. She can be _especially_ moody at times."

Haruhi eyes shot daggers at her father who was all but giggling.

"Oh, you would? Of course! She's right here."

The next thing she knew, Haruhi was being motioned over by her father, and the receiver was put to her ear (with her father attempting to share the receiver at the same time.)

"Uh…hello?" she said, trying to pull away from her father at the same time.

"Haruhi? Was something wrong?" asked Kyouya's emotionless voice through the phone.

"Ah, yes- I mean, everything is alright… I just mistook you for… someone else," she lied lamely, ready to kill her snickering father.

"Oh, is that so? Is there someone bothering you?"

"No! I- well, there are a few prank caller kids that are bothering me, that's all! But they seemed to have stopped, I thought that you were them," she babbled, wincing at the horrible lie that she just told him.

"I see," His smooth voice held an invisible smirk. "You had me worried about you there for a moment, but I'm glad to hear that you are fine. That's all I wanted to ask you."

"Okay, goodnight, Kyouya-senpai," she sighed with relief.

"Give your father my regards," was his response before hanging up.

Haruhi put down the receiver and plopped down on the floor in huge relief.

"I don't even like him very much, but I can't stop thinking about him," she whispered, opening up to her father.

Ranka knelt down beside her. "That's the way she felt about me, too," he responded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But it turned out that she liked me a lot…but she just didn't want to."

Haruhi stared into her father's eyes. They were kind and serious, and he seemed genuinely happy for his daughter, now that she was in love. He seemed to really adore Ootori Kyouya.

"I feel like I'm not myself anymore. It's bothering me." She looked away from him.

It was so unlike her to feel nervous speaking to him on the phone. In fact, it was most definitely unlike her to be thinking about Kyouya in that manner. Was this what 'infatuation' is? The changing of one's entire being to become somebody completely foreign?

"The longer you continue to reject your feelings, the longer you will be unable to accept yourself," She heard her father say wisely with a soft smile.

Haruhi looked at him to see if this was really her father. He looked older, more serious, and more mature than usual—that was what love was, wasn't it? Her father even seemed different as he spoke about love—so was love truly that powerful?

Somehow, she doubted it.

However, she was slowly changing and she was fully aware of that. Was there something she wished to do about it? Or should she continue to deal with her emotions the way she did with past interests?

"Okay," she sighed, finally giving in. "What should I do?"

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Asking her dad for advice? What a bad idea. This is going to end disastrously XDDD

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Okay. I KNOW it's OOC…and I KNOW that I'm the editor of this story to regulate OOCness, but for some strange reason, I CAN'T SEEM TO REGULATE IT!

**Reader's Address**

_Wraith:_ Thank you everyone for the great reviews! It's 1:44 AM here and I'm eating Special K (with Red Berries). By the time we publish this chapter, we'll probably have chapter 5 done already

_Kuron:_ Thanks to this story that Wraith-san started writing (and roped me into writing), I haven't written Kimi no Koe T.T Wraith-san really does write quickly, but I edit like a snow snail

_Wraith:_ That's true. I looove Kimi no Koe, so maybe you should hop to it with that. clap clap chop chop

_Kuron: _What am I? A bunny? o-

_Wraith:_ No, you're a cat

_Kuron:_ Thanks for the observation. –sweatdrop- Weren't we going somewhere with this

_Wraith: _Oh, right. Thanks everyone for the reviews, with the support and encouragement, we'll become the next Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling. Anyway, I hope you're all prepared for what comes next… the angst. Love was never smooth sailing, so batten your hatches, ladies and gentlemen… we're in for stormy seas

_Kuron: _That… was creepy. But anyway! The both of us would like to thank all of our readers and our reviewers

_Wraith: _But we thank reviewers MORE. So if you want to be thanked more, then review. Until next chapter, Wraith and Kuron signing off! Now, go write Kimi no Koe

_Kuron:_ Don't listen to him. We thank everyone equally! And okay, okay… I'm going, I'm going… bye everyone! (heart)


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)  
**Warning:** Slight OOCness!

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi gulped audibly as she stared at Ootori Kyouya across the Third Music room. She felt like she was preparing for a suicide mission, not for pleasant conversation with the Shadow King.

_That _is_ a suicide mission,_ she thought bleakly. _Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is doomed to fail._

Haruhi looked down at her shoes. Normally she was not afraid of anything, but she _was_ going to confront the devil himself and had every reason to feel at least a bit anxious.

It was moments like this that made her wonder why she was attracted to him at all. She wondered briefly if she was crazy.

_Probably,_ she thought to herself.

She thought back to all of the things that her father said the previous night.

"_Try to be calm," he said encouragingly. "I know you're a charming, beautiful girl."_

"_Why are you so serious?" she asked him. "It's unnerving. I'm not used to it."_

_His father smiled at her grimly. "Because of all the possible people…we're dealing with Ootori Kyouya."_

These thoughts did little to calm her. Couldn't her father say something that comforted her?

Before she knew it, her legs were moving her towards him, and she almost begged them to stop. When he glanced at her, moving his way, her head was immediately filled with thoughts.

"_I…apologize that I upset you, Haruhi." He looked embarrassed as he said this._

"_I suppose I just wanted to have a conversation with you." His warm, smiling face…_

Haruhi closed her eyes, feeling slightly more confident, and kept marching in Kyouya's direction.

With her eyes closed, she didn't notice Tamaki's teddy bear sitting on the floor. She was very surprised when she tripped and started to fall forward.

The instant her foot hit the teddy bear, she knew exactly what was happening.

_Oh, how embarrassing,_ she thought to herself miserably. Of all days to be clumsy, it just _had_ to be today!

She braced herself to hit the ground. But instead, she fell into a pair of lean arms.

Opening her eyes only slightly, she found herself staring up through a pair of lenses into stony, emotionless eyes.

She could have sworn she saw a flash of concern, but it must have just been her imagination.

They stayed that way for a moment, and Haruhi could have sighed in contentment. His arms wrapped around her made her feel safe.

"Ooh, in an uncharacteristic leap of faith, the Shadow King saves our princess," the twins said in unison, then nodded in agreement.

In a fit of rage, Tamaki starlight-kicked his teddy bear across the room onto the couch.

"Mother, good catch!" The king rushed over. "You've saved our daughter from inevitable peril! What would I do if you were not there to save her…! Oh, my daughter! You worry daddy so much!"

Kyouya released her, and stepped back to let Tamaki coddle the girl.

"I'm fine—no, really, you can let go…!" Haruhi struggled to get away with no success.

Haruhi sighed as her small plan failed. It's not like she could just strike up casual conversation with him now.

She wondered if she should just charge ahead briefly with her feelings in tow, and tell him how she felt in private. While she agreed with her father's plans to attempt to ease into the topic and see where he stood on relationships and the like, she admitted to herself that she wasn't the type to just play around.

Besides, if he wasn't interested, it wasn't like it was going to help her any to find that out in the middle of a conversation. It would be nice to know how he felt before spilling her feelings all over, but she knew that that was only a minor convenience. She was determined, and she was going to tell him, whether if he was interested or not.

_A brave plan,_ she thought,_ but when I think about all of the things that he might say, I want to go hide under a pillow._

Steeling her nerves, she approached him. "Um, senpai?"

"Yes, what is it, Haruhi? Are you alright?" His words showed that he cared, but his tone said that he clearly didn't.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for watching out for me," she bowed, embarrassed. "I was wondering…after the Host Club's activities are over for today, is it possible that I could have a word with you?"

He made a face that she couldn't decipher.

It didn't feel pleasant, but the feeling disappeared as he checked his watch and flipped through his planner.

After several moments, he responded, "Is it very important?"

She didn't want to interrupt his plans, but she felt indignant that since he invaded her thoughts as he did, and then also made her wait for her to express her frustration, then he should at least help remedy the problem.

Gathering her courage, she spoke.

"It is rather pressing," she replied firmly.

He looked at her for a long while, perhaps attempting to stare her down. He looked more cunning than intimidating.

"Perhaps we could try to make it quick." It was a statement, not a question.

"I can't make any promises," she said truthfully.

He stared at her a little longer, before then scribbling some things down in his planner.

"It must be _quite_ pressing for you to ask me like this," he remarked, getting up straightening his jacket and tie.

_Quite pressing indeed, _she agreed silently.

--

Hours later, Haruhi sat on a polished mahogany table in the Third Music room. It had been long since it was deserted, and she patiently waited for his appearance.

Suddenly, the doorknob turned loudly, and the door creaked open slowly. Haruhi wondered if the door reacted as loudly to anyone else.

The young Ootori businessman strolled towards her, leafing through several pieces of paper. He reached the table that she was seated at, set his papers down, and leaned against the table across from her. "What was it you wanted to discuss with me?"

Haruhi stared at him, and found that words would not leave her lips.

_Speak, you idiot,_ she commanded herself. _Say something. Anything._

"Senpai… how…" she managed.

Kyouya's gaze was set upon her unwaveringly. She felt like needles were pricking the back of her neck.

"How… how much debt do I have left to pay back?" she managed pathetically.

Now, he looked confused, or at least irritated. It seems that she had been a bother to him.

"I hope this is not what I rescheduled an important luncheon for," he said, leafing through several papers.

Pulling out a piece of paper, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and read aloud a few numbers from the paper, but Haruhi wasn't listening. She could only hear her pulse pumping in her ears.

"Is that all?" he asked, straightening himself as he prepared to leave.

Haruhi tried to summon her courage once again, but she couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and Kyouya turned around wordlessly to leave.

She watched his retreating back, and tried to will him to stay with her, to encourage her… to tell her that he cared for her.

"Wait," she cried out. "Wait, please…"

He stopped walking, and turned around to look at her. She closed her eyes, and convinced herself that he cared about her, that he wanted to get to know her better. Why else would he apologize for hurting her? Why else would he want to strike up a conversation with her?

"I want to tell you something," she said to him as confidently as she could.

It was now or never.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: What a crazy cliffhanger! I'm so tempted to make everyone wait like a week before seeing what happens! If I get bad reviews, maybe I'll make good of that offer… but if I get some nice reviews, maybe you could check back later today and find a surprise…:O ! Btw, I hope no one really minds stuff being too OOC. I mean, let's face it, in the actual Ouran High School Host Club story, the chances are slim that Haruhi and Kyouya would end up together. I mean it goes without saying that things will get OOC, but my co-writer here does a great job of keeping Haruhi in line… _if _she were to go for the Shadow King XP

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Just so everyone knows…I SUPPORT KYOUxHARU! –fangirls-(Actually, some of you may know that already due to my fic: Kimi no Koe) so if Wraith-san somehow makes it way too OOC, I will punish him and change it xD But he's getting so much more better at limiting the OOCness that he may not need me anymore –sweatdrop-

-"-senpai" The suffix -senpai is used for those higher than you. For example, an 8th grader would call an 11th grader "-senpai"


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)  
**Warning:** Slight OOCness!

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"Recently, senpai, I've been having a… small problem. There is something diverting my attention from my studies and from my activities, and quite frankly, it's bothering me quite a bit."

Haruhi bit her lip.

"I hope it is not me," Kyouya said plainly.

_You have no idea, _Haruhi whispered to herself inwardly.

"Actually, senpai…" Haruhi took a long pause. Why did he have to stare at her like that?

She took a deep breath. And another.

And another.

This was a lot harder than she thought.

She looked at his face, and was surprised at what she saw.

His expression wasn't twisted into a look of worry and surprise, but he was looking at her anxiously. He kept his calm composure, but he looked as if he was ready to assist her if she needed it in any way.

Haruhi gathered up her courage.

"Actually, senpai, it _is_ you."

His surprise flashed for a split second. "Excuse me?"

Her courage diminished again, but she knew that she couldn't turn back now. "It… it is you that is my problem. Lately, it's you that has been distracting me from my studies, and it's you that has shattered my focus. I don't know how to say this, but…"

Haruhi shut her eyes and clenched her fists tightly.

_Say it, Fujioka Haruhi! Say it now or forever hold your peace!_

"But… I have feelings for you, Ootori Kyouya."

Silence.

No reaction. No reply. He simply continued to stare at her.

The silence in the room was so deafening. Haruhi didn't feel any better after admitting her feelings.

_Why wasn't he saying anything?_

She wanted to slap him across the face, scream at him, anything to get a reaction out of him. He couldn't have been human. Couldn't he see her suffering?

"Impossible."

Haruhi stared.

"It's impossible," he repeated.

"Wh-what?" she asked, confused.

"I'm sorry," he said evenly. "This relationship is impossible. You, of all people, should understand."

He turned to leave.

Haruhi watched him walk away.

_This can't be,_ she thought, distraught. _I need to know why._

She chased after him, grabbing his arm. He stopped but didn't turn around.

"Then why?" she asked him softly, feeling something pricking at the back of her eyes. "Why did you pretend to care for me? Were you lying?"

His jaw twitched slightly, and she barely saw it.

"Why do you need to hide it? You care for me," she said firmly.

He whirled around, forcing his arm from her grip. She gasped when she saw the expression on his face. He looked pained.

It was the first time she had seen him look so upset.

Haruhi stared at him. "Is… it because… I am a commoner?" she asked him quietly, somehow feeling as if her life was being slowly sucked out of her body and into a vacuum cleaner.

"It would ruin your life, Haruhi," he said tersely, avoiding her question. He looked away from her, his eyes now distant. "It would mean the end of your involvement in the Host Club. Things would not be the same. Everyone would know the truth; everyone would know you are a female.

"In addition, there are many complications that this relationship would cause to me. Please understand this. It would not work between the two of us."

He turned his gaze towards her. She looked directly into his eyes, and saw nothing but doubt and regret.

"I understand," she whispered, and she let him go. He left the room swiftly without a sound. But she did not understand.

Haruhi sank to her knees and looked down at her hands.

_My poor, stupid commoner hands,_ she thought to herself bitterly, staring blankly down at them. She felt numb and cold; she couldn't even feel the cold drops of tears that slid slowly down her cheeks and onto her hands. Even though she was never a very big fan of those damsels in distress in fairytales who cried because of a broken heart, she felt that she slightly understood why they would be so dramatic.

She covered her face in her hands and wept softly into them.

She did not understand. She didn't care if everyone found out that she was a female. The Host Club introduced her to wonderful friends, and it meant much to her, but it wouldn't ruin her life to lose it.

She didn't know what to do now. She contemplated what she would tell her father. Her poor father—he probably thought that she was out with her newfound love, spending time together in the late afternoon.

More tears fell when she admitted to herself that that is what she had wanted with him—and only him.

She did not know whether Ootori Kyouya cared for her or not. She did not know what she was going to tell her father. She did not know whether or not she could bear being a part of the Host Club tomorrow.

The only thing she was quite certain of was that Ootori Kyouya did not love her.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: -dodges tomatoes, trash, and other rotten vegetables- please, PLEASE, people, behave! I know you want to beat the crap out of him, so why don't you go torture him, not me! I know this chapter was short, but it's 4:34AM and I just wrote chapters 4, 5, and 6 back to back… it's not easy. Btw, fans, please don't rely on a happy ending. I have multiple plans out for where to take this story, but happy and tragic endings branch off at a single crucial point, and it really depends on the way I am feeling at the time… XP sowwy!

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: -sniffle sniffle- omg…I want to cry. Every single time I reread this chapter (due to BETAing) I feel like kicking and screaming at Kyouya. And fellow fans…if he ends it tragically, you can be quite sure who's not getting up the following morning. Anyway, I hope that you all got a good cry out of this chapter (I know I did) and hopefully, Wraith-san will send me chapter 7 soon. RIGHT, WRAITH?

-"-senpai" The suffix -senpai is used for those higher than you. For example, an 8th grader would call an 11th grader "-senpai"


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi walked home slowly. Her eyes were red and her spirits were at an all-time low.

_Lovely how he matters this much to me,_ she thought sarcastically, staring down at the concrete blankly.

She had never felt so alone since she had entered Ouran. She was reluctant to admit it, but for the sake of being honest with herself (since she was on a roll anyway), it comforted her to be able to rely on her family of hosts.

There was Hunny-senpai, who was always cheerful and uplifting, like a cute little brother. There was Mori-senpai, who stayed calm, and knew exactly what to do when the situation was dire, like a reliable older brother. There were the twins, who would keep her entertained when she grew tired of the same mundane things. There was Tamaki who—well, he always reminded her that things could always get worse, more like a puppy rather than the father he insists on being.

And then… there was him. He was never without a plan, and nothing escaped his meticulously thorough notes. Had he ever been caught off guard before in his life?

Haruhi relished in his unexpected, warm smiles and she felt herself despairing that she might not see one ever again.

_May I please forget about him now,_ she begged herself, _before I go completely insane?_

Her legs stopped walking of their own accord, and she was surprised to find herself at home.

Sighing, she plugged the key into the doorknob and turned it quietly, silently praying that her father was not at home to see her in such a pathetic state.

Apparently, luck was not on her side today because her father was sitting on the couch, and he saw his daughter in the doorway. He could immediately tell that she had cried her eyes dry, and she was cradling her arms sadly.

"Oh, Haruhi," he whispered, rushing over to her and covering his mouth. "Oh, no."

"I'm home," she whispered feebly in reply.

"What happened?" he murmured worriedly.

Haruhi closed her eyes. _It's impossible. It would not work between the two of us._ His painful words echoed in her head. She closed her eyes tighter.

"He said no," she told him simply.

Her father held her at arms length. "He just said… no? I find that hard to believe," he said, his tone rising.

"He said more than that, but I don't want to talk about it. Dad, please," she begged him. "Just let it go. I want to forget about him."

"But, Haruhi-" he began, but she pulled away from him and walked into her room, ignoring him.

Fujioka Ranka sighed heavily, watching his daughter suffer. It reminded him of what a hard time he had when Kotoko had first turned him down.

--

Haruhi stood in the middle of her room, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill. Why did it hurt so much to have this happen?

She wished that she could go back to when she didn't care about the Host Club and its insane members. She wished that she wouldn't feel lonely without them, because she didn't care for them.

It hurt her that things might not be the same between her and all of the members of the Host Club if they found out, but she realized that he would never tell the others about her confession. For some reason, her relief was little, and she briefly wondered why.

Inside of her heart, she knew the answer. She loved all of the members of the Host Club, and each of them truly left their mark on her heart, but it wasn't losing them she was worried about. She knew the mysterious, unreadable face that she didn't want to let go of. She was afraid of things changing between them, between the one she lo-

"I do _not_ love him," she told herself firmly.

Her own voice sounded hollow and desperate in her own ears. She wasn't convinced.

_I need to focus on something else and forget about him,_ she reasoned with herself. _He's not a big deal. Just take the hit and move on. If you don't, you'll go crazy._

A soft knock sounded on her door. "Haruhi…? Dearest, please talk to me about it. If you don't, you'll go crazy."

Clenching her fists, she opened up angrily. "Dad, I don't know what to say. There's nothing to discuss."

"Fine, but let me tell you something. Your daddy isn't exactly the smartest man alive, but he knows a lot about love… and if you don't express how you feel and what's on your mind, things will just get harder for you… and you won't find any answers," he responded, a hint of smugness in his voice.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. If he wanted to try that approach, she would let him try. He would get out once he saw that it wasn't working.

"Fine," she ushered him in. He was giggling despite the dismal circumstances.

He sat attentively on the floor, and she repeated the conversation that she had with him. When she had finished her story, she sighed.

"So tell daddy," he cooed. "Tell daddy how you feel about things."

"I feel miserable and I don't want to think about him anymore," she muttered.

"What do you think about the way he feels?" he asked, tapping his chin.

"He's an idiot," she retorted, frowning at the impossibility of her statement.

"Well, don't you think it's strange?" he asked her, putting his hands on his knees.

"What's so strange about him rejecting me?" she cried, throwing her arms up in the air in exasperation.

He looked directly into her eyes, halting her anger with his serious gaze. "It's strange because he rejected you… when he obviously cares about you."

The anger in her eyes dissipated, and she stared at the mature, serious face of her father. Had he always been like this?

Suddenly, she was filled with a deep sadness, and a sob almost escaped her throat.

"Am I that repulsive?" she wondered aloud. This didn't fail to reduce her father to giggles.

"Oh, Haruhi ahaha!" he laughed, clutching his stomach as he rolled on her bed in laughter.

She could feel the fire of her irritation returning, but she pushed it back down into her stomach. She wanted answers more than she wanted to smack her father upside his head.

Luckily she could get both.

"Ow…! Was that necessary! Be nice to daddy…!"

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, maybe you could help me instead of ridiculing me! Now if you don't mind, I would appreciate you explaining the inner workings of this man's mind, since you seem to be so familiar with it!"

Immediately sitting up, and rubbing his chin, he thought carefully. "Well, I'm not sure why he would say that it would ruin your life. Much of what he told you seems like an excuse to me."

"Such as?" she asked impatiently. An excuse? Why wasn't she able to pick this up? She waited to hear what her father had to say.

"Think about it, Haruhi," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "He said that it would be the end of your involvement in the Host Club. Does that make sense?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I did bring in quite a bit of profit, and I still have a debt to repay, so yes, it does."

Her father shook her head. "It is not like you two are going to go around the school kissing. Should you be involved in a relationship, both of you would keep it very discreet. A secret kept between you and Kyouya… I can almost guarantee that the secret would never be leaked, and that your involvement in the Host Club would _not_ end."

Haruhi looked surprised. She was suddenly glad that a certain valedictorian kept her father up to date. It seemed like her father knew about what would compromise her involvement in the club… and even much about Kyouya.

"And what are these complications that he was referring to…?"

She looked back at her father. "I'm not sure what he meant. I assumed that he meant it would cause complications within his family… I don't think his father would approve of me…"

Ranka shook his head. "No, Haruhi, he would not approve… but you are not keeping things in perspective."

Haruhi was not keeping things in perspective, and yet her father was. _Love must turn the entire world upside down,_ she thought sardonically. She was about to look outside for pigs flying.

"He is already the youngest son of the Ootori family, and his father expects much of him. Yes, his father would look down on him courting a girl such as yourself," he said with a hint of distaste. "However, Kyouya-kun is a brilliant boy. Both you and I know that he is a very intelligent, cunning businessman. He will either succeed or fail to impress his father."

"But doesn't that mean…" she began to protest.

"My dear, he is the top student of his class, and likely all of Ouran. If this does not impress his father, will he be forsaken because his personal life is blemished with the likes of you?"

Haruhi froze. His father didn't care that he was the top of his class? Kyouya would probably have to conquer the world in order to impress his father. Perhaps he would not care much about who he was seeing…

"But that is too big of an assumption to make," she pointed out to her father.

"He simply said there were complications. What _is_ too big of an assumption to make is that he was speaking about his family."

Haruhi sighed, leaning back onto her floor. She wished she could go back in time, calm herself down, and ask the black haired boy some constructive questions.

"But either way, it still sounds like an excuse to me."

Haruhi sat up, and puffed her chest out.

"That's true. I want some answers from him."

She allowed herself to think about him, and she imagined his cold, emotionless stare as a response to her investigation.

Her confidence deflated a little, but she was still determined.

_I want some answers, Ootori Kyouya, _she whispered to herself confidently. _I am the only one who can say that this relationship will ruin my life, and I will _not_ let you make my decisions for me._

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: pumps fist into the air She's gonna go get him! She's gonna gonna gonna go get him! But, dear readers, as we all know very well… she will soon find that he is not easy prey! Either fluff or angst follows this chapter… who knows what it will be? (hint: I don't yet, whatever I feel like XP)

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I…had such a hard time editing this. -sigh- I must be lacking skills if I can't edit right. I hope you all enjoyed this though…go Haruhi! Get Kyouya to fall in love with you! –squee- Thank you all for reading and sticking to this (and if you're a Kimi no Koe fan, thank you for reading that too xD) and we'll see you next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

A black-haired, second year student sat glancing over his paper, pushing his glasses further up his nose. Satisfied that he had not made any errors, he leaned back with satisfaction.

Aced. Easily, of course.

A smirk found its way onto his face. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the class on his back, as usual. Inside, he enjoyed the feeling.

To his left, he saw Tamaki grinning stupidly at him.

_Just double check your paper, Tamaki,_ Kyouya tried communicating to him telepathically. But of course, Suou Tamaki didn't receive the message. If only he would re-read his work after finishing, he wouldn't make those tiny errors.

_Well, maybe it's better he does…_ Kyouya pondered. It _was_ the only thing keeping Tamaki second in their class, and keeping him in first.

The guilt that he should have felt passed right over his head.

The two boys met up after class.

"Ah, I think the tests get easier as we progress, eh, Kyouya? It's like th- urp!" Tamaki's eyes suddenly went small.

"What's wrong?" Kyouya asked, not really caring.

"I have to… make use of the facilities," he croaked, clutching his stomach. "_Immediately."_

Kyouya rolled his eyes. "Go," he said, dismissing his friend. "I'll talk to you later."

Tamaki ran off, not even stopping to excuse himself as he knocked over a classmate.

_That's what you get for eating too much commoner food, you idiot,_ Kyouya thought, shaking his head.

"Kyouya-senpai!"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Kyouya felt surprise.

But not too much surprise.

He looked over to find a very resilient commoner waving at him, about twenty paces to his left.

_Interesting,_ he mused, heading over to her. Wasn't it just yesterday that he left her crying on the floor of the Third Music Room?

"How are you doing, Haruhi?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, senpai," she smiled lightly up at him.

He wouldn't bother to apologize for what he did. It wouldn't fit his character, anyway.

"And yourself?" she asked.

He waved his hand vaguely.

Haruhi laughed airily. "Well, I suppose I should let you go since we both have class soon," she looked around at the nearby students who were scurrying to their next classes.

"I suppose so," he said simply, checking the time.

So, she wanted to make him believe that she was unfazed. What was she trying to prove?

"Oh, and also…" she interrupted, breaking his train of thought. "I'll join you after school when we meet to plan the Host Club's upcoming activities."

Kyouya stared at the brave, brown-eyed commoner girl smiling at him.

"Make sure Tamaki gets back all right from the bathroom, okay?" she laughed and turned to leave.

Kyouya's grabbed her sleeve, and looked straight into her surprised eyes. He gave her his best soul-piercing glare.

"What is it you want?" he demanded in a low voice. "There isn't anything more to say, but I know you want to discuss it."

She didn't look intimidated in the least. "You'll have to wait. I can't say it here."

He let her go, and she turned to walk away. He watched her back until she was out of sight. When he couldn't see her anymore, he walked to class, forgetting all about Tamaki.

He was not surprised. He knew that the proud commoner had a tough personality, and she wasn't as cute as she looked—not that he would ever admit that he thought her cute.

But he knew that this would be her reaction. He did not expect her to act sullen and despondent, because she believed that it would be showing a sign of weakness. He agreed that that is what he would think of her if she showed up to school acting depressed.

But he had seen her cry, and he knew, even if she tried to cover it up, that his words had struck her deeply. He understood her behavior, but he did not know what she wanted. Revenge, perhaps?

_No, that would be too troublesome for her, and that is not the course of action she would choose,_ he concluded when this thought crossed his mind.

He remembered her face clearly, looking over his shoulder as he left. He saw her on the floor crying, looking pitiful. A pang of guilt lodged itself in his chest sharply, but he brushed it off.

_Feelings have no place in a businessman, _he had thought to himself simply.

Haruhi would simply complicate everything that he had worked so hard to achieve. Although…

It was interesting that he should find her smile soothing, her presence calming. While she was only a mere commoner and he was sick and tired of the Host Club fawning over the differences in their lives, she was different from the rest of the Host Club—she was calm and sensible.

He admitted to himself long ago that the hormones within him had attracted him to her, but he ignored those feelings. He did not become successful by giving in to his own feelings whenever they were strong enough.

However…

He did not forget the way he felt when Haruhi was confessing her feelings for him. He had listened to every word that she said, and then considered his next move.

He had almost decided to reciprocate her feelings. He had almost fooled himself into thinking that she would make him truly happy. There was something that stopped him from confessing, and he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

_Success is happiness,_ he told himself firmly.

Tamaki returned from the bathroom.

"Ah, that was refreshing," he sighed in contentment. "You know, I cannot wait until classes are finished today. For some reason, I really feel like seeing my daughter," he giggled stupidly.

Kyouya offered him an empty smile. _Perhaps because you're in love, idiot._

Seeing Tamaki so soon after reliving Haruhi's confession made Kyouya feel guilty… for once. This man… his friend… _he_ was the reason why he was unable to confess his feelings.

He glanced at Tamaki who was still talking about the girl, and smiled ruefully. If only he had discovered his feelings first, he would not have had to yield to Tamaki's overzealous love for her.

After speaking, Tamaki simply smiled happily in his direction.

Kyouya knew that he could not betray his friend. Besides, he would rather have an associate like Tamaki than a… lover, he supposed, like Haruhi.

_This decision is clearly much more beneficial than what lies in the other hand… by at least ten fold,_ he added to reassure himself that he had made the right choice.

He put an indifferent, confident expression on his face, but his heart was filled with the unfamiliar feeling of regret.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: It looks like Kyouya is pretty determined that he and Haruhi are star-crossed lovers… plus it doesn't seem like he would betray his friend… especially since his friend is rich and could be very useful! It looks like this is a job for… A COMMONER! XP

Anyway, this chapter was VERY boring to write, I got distracted a whole lot, I took a short 10 minute nap because I dozed off while writing it, and I went to go take out the trash in the middle of the night (I was almost butt nekkid, I'll probly have like 9999999 bug bites tomorrow T.T). So if this chapter somehow happens to work out and is amazing, then as usual it is thanks to Nekoooo-chan (whom I affectionately refer to as J.K. Rowling).

A chapter a day means I get to nap on a regular basis ;)

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I LOVED THIS CHAPTER! Especially the last sentence, and I knew everyone else did, right? -fangirls- And for anyone who read Wraith-san's note, don't listen to him. I would be tainting J.K. Rowling's wonderful name if it had been bestowed upon me, even if it is a nickname T.T Thank you for reading! (pocky for everyone)


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"What do you think of true love, Haruhi-kun?"

Haruhi set down her teacup lightly and smiled at the girls, taking the question quite seriously.

"Well, what do you mean by true love?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Oh, it's perfect, wonderful in all sorts of ways!" One of her regulars exclaimed.

All of her clients sitting at the table seemed to agree with this, and nodded their heads.

"True love… it is when two people find each other perfectly… and it is impossible for them to disagree upon anything, because their love conquers all! It is like a soft, gentle breeze…" the girl sighed, staring up at the ceiling with a dreamy appeal.

Haruhi laughed a little bit, shaking the girl from her reverie.

"Ah, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't believe in something like that…"

The girls around her sighed in disappointment.

"But, why not, Haruhi-kun? True love is so beautiful and unquestionable…"

Haruhi took another sip of her tea and then tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"To be perfectly honest, I do not think that love is only telling each other sweet and romantic things," She gave Tamaki, who was indubitably whispering to his client sweet and romantic things, an accusing glance. "I believe that lovers will argue, and that true love is being able to overcome any earthly attempt to ruin the relationship."

"Ohh…" all of the girls sighed dreamily at this explanation.

"Haruhi-kun, tell us more!"

"Yes, please! Explain it to us!"

"_This_ is what true love must be!"

Haruhi laughed again at their eagerness before familiar footsteps approached.

"True love happens when you and your partner mutually accept that you will not let disagreements hurt what you share with one another. In fact, all obstacles that arise are overcome, and this only strengthens the bond of your love."

Haruhi turned to find Kyouya watching her customers. Smiling, he looked at her.

She forced her face to smile back. It made her feel unusual to be around him.

"Kyouya-senpai. What brings you here?" she asked politely.

"Ah, I wanted to ask you if you were available this afternoon."

Haruhi paused warily. This was an uncharacteristically aggressive move for him, but she knew that he did not act without thorough planning first. This was not a gesture of spontaneity.

"Why, of course," she replied, keeping her voice as emotionless as possible. "It would be the perfect time to talk about the business that I've been meaning to discuss with you."

She mentally rolled her eyes at her clients, who were whispering amongst each other and probably hoping that a relationship would develop between herself and Ootori Kyouya.

Irony struck her as she realized that she might want the same thing as them.

_Stop it, Fujioka Haruhi. Get answers from him first._

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing," he answered her.

Not wanting to risk having some uninvited guests, he promised to tell her later where to meet, to which she agreed impassively.

"Ohh, Haruhi-kun… you both have the same idea of true love! Are you thinking about having a relationship with Kyouya-kun?"

Some of the girls squealed at the suggestion.

_I sure hope it turns out that way, _she thought.

--

"I thought we might lose our chance," she said, sitting down at the table of the nearby café that he had suggested to her secretly. "Tamaki-senpai didn't seem like he would leave me alone."

Kyouya didn't respond to her comment, and sat down at the table wordlessly.

She wondered if he even heard her, but she doubted that he missed it.

The flowers that they had here were certainly beautiful.

She made it a point to ask what kind they were. Maybe her mother would enjoy them.

"What is it that you want to discuss?"

She looked back at him, who was staring straight at her, his dark eyes veiling all emotion.

"I want answers," she told him confidently. She wasn't afraid to get straight to the point either.

"I'll have water," he replied.

Haruhi looked confused for a moment, but then saw the surprised look of the waiter creeping up on him. He certainly was a special one.

"Water is fine," she agreed.

Regaining his composure, the waiter walked off, muttering to himself.

"Now," Kyouya reverted his attention back to her. "Let us continue."

"Explain to me why we wouldn't work out," she demanded.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up, looking impassive and disinterested in her question.

"There are many reasons why we cannot pursue a relationship, Haruhi." He crossed his legs casually. "For example, I am a very busy man. I do not have the time."

"Yet you have the time to sit down and have a late lunch with me. I am not one of those needy girls from the Host Club, senpai. I see you every day, and the time that I would want to spend alone with you would be minimal."

He folded his hands. "I come from a very wealthy and prestigious family. My father would not approve."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "Aren't lovers supposed to strengthen their bond by overcoming all obstacles that arise to strengthen their bond? That's what you said, wasn't it?"

Kyouya's own eyebrow twitched, and he was beginning to look annoyed. "Tamaki would never approve."

Haruhi rolled her eyes at his list of excuses. "Why should I even care about Tamaki-senpai? I care about you."

The waiter who had taken their orders set down their drinks, trying hard not to look interested in their conversation. He walked away slowly and Kyouya seemed to have waited until the waiter was out of earshot to continue.

The stubborn Ootori son crossed his arms and looked to the side. "I think you'll agree that—,"

"Do you care about me?" she asked suddenly, interrupting him.

"Well, someone has to," he replied warily. "It's not like our king does a grand job of looking out for you. I would hate for something to happen to you. Your debt—,"

"Shut up about that," she growled, and he watched her silently, unfazed by her sudden change of attitude. "Do you care about _me_? Would you hate for something to happen to me because you only care about _me_?"

"No," he said calmly.

"Try again," she replied coolly.

"What gives a commoner like you the right to tell me—," he began, leaning forward as if to intimidate her.

"_Everyone_ has the right to know the truth, even commoners. I know you are lying."

She didn't. But she hoped she was right anyway.

"Hmph," was his reply.

She watched him as he sipped his water and folded his arms again.

"Perhaps," he answered.

"So then, why won't you give it a try?" she pressed, eager to go for the kill.

He smiled, closing his eyes. He looked like he was considering something for a moment and then after a long moment he spoke: "Very well, Haruhi. I have made my decision."

_This was a lot easier than I thought,_ she thought to herself. _I'm glad I confronted him about it._

"There is one person that I cannot allow to disapprove of a relationship between you and I. And therefore, if you can solve this problem properly… I would be honored to… court you."

Haruhi looked confused. "Huh?"

He turned his head, and his eyes had a faraway look in them.

"In order for you to succeed, you must convince my closest friend and colleague that it is acceptable for you and I to be _together_."

Haruhi's eyes widened. This was going to be impossible.

"You must convince Suou Tamaki."

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: If I were Haruhi, I would give up… but then again, I would be a stubborn, hard-headed commoner… so maybe not XP

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Intense. Very intense. At first, I thought this chapter went by TOO FAST. Hopefully, my editing made that slow down considerably…if it didn't, I apologize. I'm not all that great at editing xD Putting my ideas in someone else's stories feel strange, so I just try to alter bits and pieces but anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (-nudges Wraith-san-…HEY! GET BACK TO WORK ON CHAPTER TEN!)


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi bit her lip and scribbled down some notes after watching the professor demonstrate how to solve the complex series of problems for the second time.

She heard the twins snickering about something, but pushed her curiosity to the back of her mind. Getting involved in any of their annoying schemes usually meant trouble, and she had more than enough to deal with already.

A week had passed since she had discussed the problem with Kyouya, and she still wasn't sure how to approach her problem.

"_Senpai. I wish to pursue a relationship with Ootori Kyouya. Please approve," she bowed. _

_His eyes bulged out of his head. _

"_A-A… A RELATIONSHIP? WITH MOTHER! HOW CAN THIS BE!" he screamed, proceeding to savagely shake the life out of her._

She shook her head. That would not do. Lord only knows how Tamaki was going to take it.

Resting her chin on her hand, she leaned against the desk and glanced over at the professor. He was going to solve the problem again. Since she was sure she understood it the second time, she allowed her mind to wander.

_There's no way I can just tell Tamaki-senpai so simply,_ she thought hopelessly. _He may be annoyingly vain and idiotic, but I'm sure it would devastate him._

Her imagined Tamaki going ballistic at her confession entered her mind once again.

_He probably wouldn't be too happy about it being Kyouya either,_ she imagined his reaction upon finding out about him.

"_A mother and her daughter cannot love each other that way! It's forbidden! And mother never shows any emotion towards anything! How can you love him!"_

_True, _she thought, answering imagination-Tamaki.

"That is correct, Fujioka Haruhi. The statement is true, ladies and gentlemen. Fujioka, would you like to demonstrate to the class as to how you made such an excellent conclusion?"

Haruhi stared, dumbfounded. Did she really speak out loud?

She stood up slowly after being called on by the professor. She stared at the board for clues, but found that she didn't understand the problem after all. She should have paid attention to the demonstration instead of allowing her mind to idly land upon Tamaki and Kyouya.

"I… well… isn't it… obvious?" she stuttered lamely.

The professor stared at her for a moment, and then fortunately decided to agree.

"Yes, well, uh… If you have studied as much as Fujioka here, you can start to see the patterns in the problems, and can make a fairly educated guess at the solution."

"Ohhh, it seems Haruhi has been studying very hard lately," the twins snickered just loud enough for her to hear them.

Normally she would not be embarrassed, but normally she would not let herself be caught off guard like that either. She sat down, slowly, just as the bell rang. Everyone else got up and began to head to lunch.

"C-class dismissed," The professor said feebly to a stampede of first year boys and girls.

Sighing, Haruhi scolded herself for getting caught off guard. _You're thinking too much,_ she repeated to herself as she stood and left with the others. _Don't let it control your life._

Her feet stopped of their own accord when she saw him standing off to the side in plain sight. He pushed his glasses up his nose and pretended not to notice her, but she knew that he was there for her.

She walked up to him, swerving in between several students in her path.

"Kyouya-senpai," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at her stonily. "I wanted to discuss matters with you."

She sighed impatiently. She hadn't progressed at all in her mission. If he was going to complain to her, then why wouldn't _he _do something about it?

"Why haven't you said anything to him?" Kyouya pressed, interrupting her thoughts.

Haruhi stared at his emotionless face, and tried to fight the anger welling up inside her.

She failed miserably.

"Why don't _you_ do something about it if _you're_ so concerned about what will happen to us?" she seethed through her teeth, aware that there were still students in the hallways. "I don't see why I'm the one who has to take care of everything!"

Kyouya stared at her blankly.

"Never mind, Kyouya-senpai; I don't want to be with someone that won't do anything, and will leave all the work for me. I think I deserve a little bit more than that." She whirled around to leave, but he grabbed her arm.

She turned to face him, and her fiery burning eyes met his frozen stare.

They stayed like that for a moment. Brown met with black, trying to decipher what the other was thinking, all the while, placing up icy and fiery walls to prevent the other from intruding.

"Is that all that's important to you, Ootori Kyouya?" she asked quietly.

"Meaning?" He did not waver.

"Money, power," she said, feeling the forced anger bubble in her throat as well as frustration. "Fancy clothes, shoes, cars, a big house, the most advanced technological gadgets that you can find? I pity you."

He remained silent.

"I always thought that you were well-versed in everything, but apparently you only specialize in material possessions."

She forced her arm from his grip and faced him.

"All of those possessions, those inventions, the technology… all of it is hurting you as much as it is helping you. You have no idea what kind of sacrifices are being made for you to have those things."

He began to speak but Haruhi cut him off. "Every time you use that laptop instead of writing, you increase the chance of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome greatly because the angle of typing is different than that of writing. Every time you put on those expensive shoes, you sensitize your feet."

"I know my anatomy," He growled icily, interrupting her. "The human foot is a configuration of twenty six bones. Thirty-three joints. One-hundred and seven ligaments. Nineteen muscles. The human foot would be torn apart without the use of shoes."

"Then can you have your doctors explain to you why half of all injuries in infants and children come from falling down? And why the majority of their falls occur in children wearing shoes?" she retorted.

His response was a soft, graceful scoff.

"Even those expensive chairs that you sit on and those large, ornamented doors, everything in this world that is a product of human ingenuity has downsides and none of them are ever just advantages."

"How can sitting in a chair hurt me?" he demanded, his anger seemingly uncontainable.

"You already know that the primitive chairs that were manufactured upon the chair's invention were crude and hurt the backs of the owners if they remained sitting for an extended period of time," she stated matter-of-factly.

"That was a long time ago, Haruhi. Perhaps commoners chairs have not developed—,"

"The more expensive chairs manufactured today cause Kyphosis," she interrupted. "It is a back condition in which there is an excessive outward curvature of the spine and is common in those who remain seated for long periods of time in even the most comfortable chairs. Your furniture retailer assured your comfort for years to come. Did he guarantee the same thing for your posture?"

Kyouya crossed his arms and said nothing more. Haruhi sighed. Perhaps this was his way of admitting defeat.

"These examples mean, _senpai,_ that not everything is just advantages upon more advantages. Every new thing that you come across solves new problems… but goes on to create its own problems.

"The keyboard allows you to write faster, but it increases the risk of Carpal Tunnel, as I mentioned. In the sport of baseball, the technique that the pitcher uses to throw the ball has changed over the years. At this point in time, in order to maximize the speed, the pitcher throws the ball in a way that the ball can reach incredible speeds, but the sacrifice is that his technique is an unnatural motion of the arm that tears muscles in an irregular manner.

"What I am trying to say…" Haruhi paused slightly to look at the older boy, who wavered slightly (or was it just her imagination?) and made a face that she didn't quite understand.

"What I am trying to say is that you have no self-mastery," she said finally.

"Self-mastery?" He inquired with the lift of an elegant eyebrow.

"You keep using pieces of technology that you think make your life more convenient, but the dangers of that technology are far greater than the benefits that they create for you.

"Technology, invention, is all necessary in our society today," she continued, waved around at their surroundings.

"If technology is so necessary, then how can you say that I possess no self-mastery?" he shot back.

"Because self-mastery isn't abstaining from all inventions and contraptions available to us; it's about using the ones that we need, and seeing which ones hurt us more than they help."

"Doors are necessary, they keep people safe inside houses and they keep unwanted intruders out," she explained now, her eyes staring off slightly into the distance. "But imagine, without doors, there would be no rooms. And without rooms, would there be such a thing as claustrophobia? Closed confined places would still exist, but they would be so few and in between that claustrophobia would have little meaning.

"However, the benefits of this invention outweigh the downside that the door represents. In order to truly gauge whether an invention should be used, it is necessary to look through the benefits and the excitement of advancement… and to see what problems they could really produce.

"Kyouya-senpai; I'm tired of you treating me like a tool, an invention that is available for you to make your life better or more convenient."

--

Kyouya was stunned. Where did his plan go wrong? Was he missing something vital that Haruhi would be looking at him through eyes he could not read?

He looked at her, and then, in sudden revelation, he saw in her eyes a whirlwind of emotions. She was tired of dealing with this and she looked disappointed in him. Like he was not the man she wanted.

"Perhaps I would like to never see you again," she spoke again softly.

He stared at her statement. He had never felt this way in his life. These things were now out of his control, and he had no idea what to do next. He felt like a golden opportunity was passing right by him, and all he could do was watch.

She approached and stopped right in front of him. She looked up at him, and they gazed at each other for a long time. His heart wrenched involuntarily that it might be the last time that he would look at her like this.

She whispered something to him. "Prove to me that you have some self-mastery. Don't use anything other than yourself. Go tell him."

She continued walking past him, probably to her next class.

Kyouya turned around slowly, but she was gone. He pushed his glasses up his face and clenched his jaw. This was quite an interesting game.

He wasn't ready to lose yet. He was going to accept her change and regain his advantage. Ootori Kyouya was not going to be beaten down, he _can't_ be.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: The facts about the foot were taken from Edward Tenner's _Our Own Devices_, which is a book about invention and technology and how it has pros and cons. The theory is not stated but totally implied and this is how I took it.

But think about it for a second. Are so many damn things necessary in the world? Did you know that it is scientifically proven that babies that are breast fed get higher grades on tests than babies fed by bottles? And by that I mean when these babies grow up, those that were fed by breast milk will score higher tests than babies that were fed by bottles.

What the hell? What the hell is that? Apparently it's like antibodies or something and like it improves relationship with the mother when the kid grows up… it's so…

I could go on. Some people probably find it interesting. Some people probably thought this chapter was boring as sh--.

Review what you thought of the chapter and the theory and if you want me to put an A/N discussing anything in particular that you want to know about this kind of stuff.

Or if you just liked seeing Kyouya get smashed and are ready to see him man up.

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I'm assuming the next chapter is going to be more interesting, since Kyouya just got rejected by Haruhi (although that was a turn of events o.O) and let's see…I did a huge edit on this, so hopefully I didn't take out anything too vital. -sweatdrop- I'm so sorry, Wraith-san! -gets down on knees and begs for forgiveness- I hope everyone enjoyed Haruhi's anger. Serves Kyouya right. -enter rabid kyouxharu fangirl- NOW GO GET HER, KYOUYAAA! -waves flag-


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi seated herself across from the twins. They had already begun to eat their lunch.

"Hey, why are you so late to lunch today, Haruhi?" Hikaru asked, leaning forward across the table. "You were right behind us after class ended."

Haruhi looked at them warily, suspicious that they might have overheard her conversation with Kyouya. She thought she heard a hint of jealousy in the older twin's voice, but she took a quick glance at his tray, and he had already eaten enough of his food for Haruhi to decide that he must have been eating long enough for him to miss her conversation.

"I had to use the bathroom," she decided to lie, opening her own boxed lunch.

"Why didn't you ask us to go along with you, hmm?" The two leaned even further across the table, inspecting her lunch closely.

"Hey, get away from there," she waved them away from her lunch. "Besides, I don't need any help going to the bathroom. I can take care of that on my own."

The twins spent the entire lunch period trying to trade food with Haruhi, but she politely declined. When she was finished eating, she got up and left, sighing in frustration at the antics of the twins. They watched her as she left the cafeteria.

"Say, Kaoru," Hikaru began. "If she was having an argument with the four-eyed demon… why did she have to lie about it?"

"I don't know, maybe she didn't want to talk about it," Kaoru said thoughtfully.

"I think she has feelings for him," Hikaru replied angrily. "I can't believe that she would go for that idiot."

Kaoru watched his brother with a pained expression on his face. "Hikaru, please don't get upset over nothing."

Hikaru gritted his teeth, ignore his brother. "I won't let that idiot have her! He doesn't deserve her!"

--

Kyouya lazily scanned the Third Music Room, satisfied with the goings on of the Host Club. The customers seemed genuinely pleased with their performance. He sensed that the time was ripe to suggest to the customers another product, one displaying and demonstrating the Host Club in all of its glory.

His eyes stopped on the figure of Suou Tamaki for a moment, watching him entertain his current victim. Kyouya considered his moves before his attention was captured by a group of three girls approaching him.

"Ah… Kyouya-kun…" one of the girls said hesitantly, wringing her hands to reflect her current emotion.

Kyouya smiled at the girls warmly. "What is it that I can do for you ladies?"

All of the girls smiled back shyly. "We know that it doesn't happen very often, but would you mind if we joined you for today?"

"Of course, I would love to have the pleasure of your company," he replied politely. He stood and seated each of the girls, pushing in their chairs gently as they sat down.

"So, what brings you to designate me this afternoon?" he asked, bringing a smooth smile to his lips. These designations served only to de-rail the work he was concentrating on at the time, but it was necessary to please the Host Club's clients, or they would run the risk of losing customers.

"Kyouya-kun… you don't speak much, but your eyes are always focused and…" the girl continued to speak, but Kyouya's concentration was interrupted as he noticed Haruhi looking his way.

She looked away as she saw him turn his attention to her. Before she turned, he thought he saw disappointment. Possibly a hint of jealousy, but after the talk she gave him, he was probably hallucinating.

"… and so, we decided that perhaps we would try to get to know you a little bit. Is that troublesome for you?"

"No, not at all," Kyouya laughed quietly. "It is a privilege to have your company. I'm glad to have the chance to entertain you. Is there something in particular that you would like to speak about?"

The girls whispered amongst themselves. _"He's so cool,"_ he thought he overheard.

"Actually, we were wondering something," one of the girls spoke up quietly.

"What do you think of self-mastery… what Haruhi-kun was talking about earlier…?"

Kyouya's eyebrow twitched, and the girls whispered amongst themselves once again.

"Ladies, I beg your pardon, but you wouldn't happen to have—?" he began, caught unprepared.

"Oh, don't worry," the third girl interrupted him. "Your secret relationship with Haruhi-kun is safe with us."

"We think that it's wonderful," the first agreed.

"Absolutely adorable," the second added.

Kyouya managed to let out a not-so-weak chuckle. "Where did you hear such an absurd thing?" he asked, trying to debunk this inopportune rumor.

"Several students heard the conversation between you and Haruhi-kun, and the news has been flying around all day. I can't believe we didn't notice before, it's so obvious!" the girls answered, barely containing themselves.

Kyouya's thoughts raced. How many people had heard? How could he have been so careless? Why did Haruhi have to confront him in public? Did Tamaki hear of the rumor yet?

No, of course not. He looked over to the Host Club's king. If he had known about things, he would not wait and strategize; he would opt for an immediate confrontation to settle things, to set the record straight.

Kyouya turned back to his clients and instead found Haruhi. She wore a worried expression. He realized that the three girls were now wandering to one of the couches, whispering to each other excitedly.

"You need to talk to him today," she said urgently.

"I know that," he said grimly in reply. "Did you hear what my clients were saying about us?"

"Did they say that we were secretly sleeping with each other?"

Kyouya stared. He certainly had not heard that.

Haruhi shook her head and waved her hand in disgust. "Never mind. He needs to be told before the rumors get to him."

He shook his head impatiently. "He should listen to reason. Logically he should know that these rumors can't exist—,"

"Does he behave logically around me?" she interrupted.

"Exactly the conclusion I had drawn," he agreed, sighing. "I'll tell him after we're finished for today."

Haruhi released her own tired sigh. Her hand moved to touch his, but she appeared to think twice about it and settled to fold her hands atop the table, similar to his.

"What are you going to say to him?"

Kyouya gazed at her, and his icy cool exterior cracked for just an instant as he watched those warm, brown eyes radiate concern for both of them. For him.

Glancing around him discreetly, he decided that everyone was indeed out of earshot, and it did not appear as though anyone was listening in on their conversation. "I plan to tell him directly. I will try to convince that idiot to let you go."

Her worried expression still radiated uncertainty, and risking being caught by Tamaki (or anyone for that matter), he offered her a comforting, relaxed smile.

Haruhi returned it with her own nervous smile, and looking around quickly, she reached across the table, squeezed his hand gently for just a moment, and got up to leave.

His slender eyebrow rose. "I thought you were upset with me."

She sighed. "I am upset with you. You treated me like a tool, and I'll make you pay for that later. But right now, we have a much bigger problem to deal with, and we need to work together to get through this.

"Besides," she added. "It's not like you did something unforgivable."

Kyouya closed his eyes and smiled. "Perhaps I underestimated your ability to keep things in perspective."

"Perhaps so," she joked, "But you still have a lot more to learn about commoners."

"Probably," he smiled back. "I'll be looking forward to it."

She walked away, allowing him to return to the work he was dealing with before his other clients approached him.

--

Off to the side, Tamaki twirled a strand of his hair around his finger, pretending to listen to his client talking.

He wondered what made those two look so happy while they were talking to each other.

_Perhaps Haruhi has taken an interest in him,_ he wondered idly, then dismissed the thought.

He looked back at the bespectacled boy. There was no way that he would surrender his precious daughter to _him_.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Why does everyone have to make everything SO damn hard? Probably because they all like Haruhi, and if they can't have her, they won't make it easy for Kyouya to get her, either. We'll see if his cool, calculating brain is manipulative enough to deal with two hot heads! Stay tuned for more chapters!

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I. Feel. So. Sorry. For. Kyouya. -cries- WHY MUST HE GO THROUGH SO MANY OBSTACLES! I mean…Kyouya had to deal with Hikaru in Kimi no Koe, Little Host, and now Invisible! I'm going to have a heart attack. I don't normally like too much drama…wait, scratch that. I don't like drama period unless it's absolutely necessary! Anywho…ganbatte, Kyouya and Haruhi! May your high school lives end in happiness and together. xD (Pure KyouyaxHaruhi fangirl. Ignore me!)

ALSO! To those who are patiently waiting for any future chapters of Kimi no Koe or Invisible. My computer is being a butt (so to speak) and I may not be able to use it any longer. I apologize for the inconvienence, but during that time, I will continue writing Kimi no Koe and praying that Wraith-san will write Invisible. When I get the computer fixed (or if I get a laptop...) I will definitely be updating as soon as I can! Thank you for your patience and understanding. -rabu rabu from kuron-


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

**Authors' Note I:**

Kuron: WARNING. IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT SCIENCE STUFF, DON'T BOTHER READING WRAITH-SAN'S RIDICULOUSLY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE! Please skip ahead to read the story! Teehee xD

Wraith: Left a review for my own story because I obviously can't log in. Here's what it said:

I apologize for any confusion that chapter 10 has been causing, HAYATOCHIRI makes a good point, yes, we do need chairs, and yes we do need shoes.

I am sorry if not everyone who has been reading the chapters is also checking the reviews, so when I post chapter 12, I will include this support for my argument.

The point is not that we should get rid of shoes, nor is it that we should get rid of chairs. Just like many other things, we believe that the solution lies somehwere IN BETWEEN.

The thing with shoes is, not wearing shoes is better for your feet because it allows your foot to become accustomed to the ground, which it was made to do, and it gives your nerves a better sense of balance because your foot is in direct contact with the ground (as opposed to you feeling pressure on certain parts of the sole).

Let me make an example. Say you want to go visit your next door neighbor. You put on your shoes and go next door. The end.

However, what if it were possible, since there is a sidewalk connecting your house and theirs, you could NOT wear shoes at all, and just go to your friend's house? Wow! Great!

Now if there are like thorns and physically damaging dangers out there, I mean come on, it's obvious, wear your shoes. It will protect you.

Unfortunately technology is a one way street, and we use it even when we don't need it, more so than you think.

The point of the technology argument is to balance out the pros with the cons. So if it's so good for the feet, why don't we just announce it out loud that shoes aren't so great after all?

Simple. We have. This book exists. But here's the thing- by announcing it, no money is made, only money is lost.

Who would run these widespread announcements? Why would they spend money to ensure that everyone hears about it? If it takes a lot of money to do so, then no one would do it. Plus, shoe manufacturers would lose a lot of money if society were successfully convinced.

So the only people who can publish it are the scientists who did the scientific research. Hence the book of essays. It doesn't get much more scientific than that.

As for the chairs, yes, we can't get rid of chairs. But don't they sit on the ground in Japan? It's not as luxurious, but I think the book said that there was scientific evidence that THEY were getting the winnings of the posture lottery (their posture was much better off than ours).

I mean, we don't NEED chairs. It's not impossible to do what the Japanese (?) are doing when they sit on the floor. As I said before though, technology is a one way street. To get rid of chairs would be the same situation as getting rid of shoes, as you can probably see now.

Basically, we invented a whole lot of new things that are comfortable, convenient, but we are unable to distinguish when we don't need them, so we just use them all the time.

Yet, it is easy to see that I am trying to make you all get rid of , which is NOT what I am saying at all (but even I think that sometimes we lose track of that), my argument is that the usage of certain technologies should be cut down, not just for energy conservation or whatever, but for ourselves.

Keep reading the fic if you enjoy it, sorry if it keeps getting worse :(

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Kyouya swept the hair out of his eyes with his hand, brushing it to the side in deep thought.

He leaned onto the black leather of the door of his limousine, gazing at the objects passing by as disappearing blurs. It seemed like the past few days had moved by just as quickly.

"_You still have a lot to learn about commoners,"_ Haruhi's words and cheerful visage crept into his thoughts, making him smile inwardly.

_Since when were you so in love, Ootori Kyouya?_ He asked himself wryly.

"Ootori-san, we're approaching the Suou residence now," Kyouya heard, closing his eyes and thinking hard.

"Thank you."

He folded his hands gently and twiddled his thumbs. _Maybe it would be more fitting if I felt a little bit more nervous,_ he thought sarcastically. He had no idea how Tamaki would act. He wasn't sure what kind of explosive reaction he should be expecting, but the image of the young man didn't unsettle him in the least.

"We've arrived, sir," informed the driver, opening the door moments later.

"Thank you," he responded in a concentrated tone. "Please wait here. I will not be long," he instructed the driver trying to practice a lighter tone before confronting the Host Club king about his daughter.

Walking up the stairs leisurely, a butler opened the grand door, presenting to him the Suou residence.

"The young master is in the game room," the butler informed him. "Please allow me to lead the way."

Kyouya followed the man, who was exercising a brisk pace. The butler knocked on the giant wooden door. "Young master, Ootori Kyouya has arrived as you expected," the butler announced to him.

"Send him in to join me," Tamaki replied coolly through the door.

Kyouya had already decided that something was wrong, and Tamaki's response to the butler's announcement had confirmed his suspicions. He wasn't personally met by Tamaki at the front door as usual. He didn't sound happy upon hearing that his best friend had arrived. The tone that he used when acknowledging his arrival…

_Guess this won't be so easy after all,_ he shrugged indifferently. At least it wouldn't be boring.

He pushed the door open slightly as the butler motioned for him to proceed. Entering at a slow pace, he discovered Tamaki leaning over a pool table casually, lining up for the break.

"Perfect timing, Kyouya," he greeted, not looking up from his shot. With a swift movement of his arm, he executed his shot creating a messy looking break. A yellow and purple ball rolled slowly into two different pockets. "One and four, Kyouya. It looks like stripes for you."

Kyouya examined a few of the cues on display alongside the far wall. Reaching for a black one, he gripped it loosely in his hands, looking satisfied.

"So what is it you want to talk about?" Tamaki asked, missing his next shot.

Kyouya smiled at him. _So, he knows something._ "How did you know I want to talk about something?"

The cue ball banked the side rail, knocking the nine into the corner pocket.

"I can tell from your face when you have something to say," was his reply, chalking his cue idly. The twelve fell into the side pocket.

"Is that so?" his tone clearly reflected his disbelief. He could feel Tamaki's eyes on him, watching his movements. The fifteen rolled slowly down the head rail and fell into the corner pocket.

Tamaki watched him silently prowl around the table, searching for his next shot. Kyouya leaned forward, brow furrowed in concentration. The cue ball left it's position, kissing the thirteen and falling into the corner.

Scratch. His eyebrow twitched.

He noticed Tamaki's scrutinizing glare as he went to retrieve the pocketed ball.

"It's about Haruhi," he said calmly, handing Tamaki the ball.

The blonde's hand gripped the cue ball tightly. "What about her?"

Kyouya stood, facing him. They stared at each other, and a moment passed. Kyouya had never seen him act like this before. It surprised him that his friend had not done something stupidly idiotic since his arrival.

He studied the eyes of his friend. They were hard, accusing eyes.

"What do you want with her?" Tamaki asked, his voice uncharacteristically hoarse. "What are you planning?" The hand gripping the ball turned white.

"Tamaki, relax. What are you talking about—?"

A cry escaped the boy's throat, and the ball he was gripping tightly flew out of his hand at an incredible speed, shattering the expensive stained glass window that overlooked the game room.

"What the hell could you possibly offer her! What the hell do you have that I don't!" he cried, grabbing Kyouya by the shirt.

Kyouya stared at him, remaining silent.

Tamaki shook him violently. "How can she possibly like someone like… some cold, unfeeling… someone like you?"

Kyouya closed his eyes as he was shook, clenching his jaw. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked the enraged man.

Tamaki narrowed his eyes. "I saw you two. I saw you two talking and smiling at each other. I know you two are having a secret relationship. I know you have slept with her. Everyone knows about it."

Tamaki cursed and released Kyouya, looking to the side. "How could you do this to me, Kyouya? We were best friends, and you betrayed me. You took the woman that I loved, and you became involved with her. I should have known when I found you two—"

Tamaki was cut short as he was struck by Kyouya's fist to the underside of his jaw.

"Stop being such an idiot," he grimaced, cracking his knuckles. Tamaki sat up on the floor, staring up stupidly at him.

"Those were only rumors, I can't believe that you put so much stock into them," Kyouya spat, disgusted. 'You really are an idiot. I had no idea you would get so worked up over something this stupid."

"R-rumors?" Tamaki asked stupidly.

Kyouya sighed. Tamaki had heard the rumors and believed them. It was going to be complicated to tell him the truth.

"Yes, rumors," he said impatiently. "Haruhi and I have never been involved like that."

"And… and your relationship?" Tamaki asked hopefully.

Kyouya paused. "Haruhi..." Kyouya looked at his friend, who was peering up at him expectantly.

Kyouya pushed his glasses up his face, and turned around. "Haruhi and I… have admitted that we have feelings for each other," he said through gritted teeth.

Tamaki stared at him. A minute passed. And then another. Kyouya blinked, wondering impatiently how long it would take him to react.

"That can't be," Tamaki whispered.

_Really now,_ Kyouya rolled his eyes.

"I won't let that happen," Tamaki said slowly.

"Hm?" Kyouya wondered what he would do to stop them. He didn't have control over either of them.

"If you become involved with Haruhi… I'll end the Host Club," Tamaki threatened.

Kyouya stared. He didn't expect that.

"Haruhi loves the Host Club, Kyouya," Tamaki said hollowly. "Do not take that away from her."

Kyouya balled his hand into a fist. He knew it was true.

"I'll see you tomorrow in class," he muttered, walking out the door.

--

"Where are you taking me, Hikaru-kun?" the girl giggled, trying to keep up with Hikaru as he dragged her arm.

"Listen to me," he grinned mischievously. "I am going to take you some place fun, but you have to trust me, alright?"

From a small distance, Hikaru admitted that Kozue looked a bit like Haruhi with her short hair and similar complexion. He smiled approvingly.

"What is this place, Hikaru-kun?" Kozue asked curiously, gazing around the apartment complex.

"We're almost there…" he trailed off, still moving forward.

"Hikaru-kun I'm getting tired, can we- mmph!" Kozue yelped as Hikaru grabbed her roughly and forced his lips on hers.

"Hikaru-kun…" she moaned softly, leaning deeper into the kiss.

--

Kyouya cursed at the most recent turn of events, deciding how to proceed with Tamaki. He stepped out of the car impatiently, and jogged swiftly to the stairs of the apartment complex to tell Haruhi what had happened. He had to know what she wanted to do about this.

He slowed his pace by a little, turning the corner—

Kyouya's eyes widened at what he saw, and he froze in his tracks. In front of Haruhi's apartment, he saw Hikaru.

And he was kissing Haruhi.

--

**Authors' Notes II:**

-WraithR269: I hated writing this chapter. None of it turned out the way I wanted it to.

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Um. Um. GUYS WHO PLAY POOL ARE HOT! (Especially Kyouya!) KYAAAA! I like playing pool too…I know, I'm weird. (Can any of you tell just how angry I am by the pointless rambling I have going on here?) Okay…

1) I can but can't imagine Tamaki acting that way. I know. That makes no sense.  
2) I can but can't imagine Hikaru that way. I know. That doesn't make any sense either.  
And 3) WHAT AN ANNOYING LITTLE GIRL! HOW DARE YOU KISS HIKARU! ONLY KAORU CAN KISS HIKAR— -is gagged and beaten to death-


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wraith: As many of you are aware, Kuron is the author of 'Kimi no Koe' and I am the author of 'Invisible' (with Kuron as my trusty beta reader, of course). We have had a long time disagreement, which we both recently have decided to do something about.

Both of us argue over which fic is better. The argument has existed since the beginning of time. And now, in order to solve it, we are going to leave it to the READERS to help us out.

Both Invisible and Kimi no Koe will update Chapter 13 at the same time, and we are going to ask readers to leave a VOTE review under the story that they like better (please consider the entire story, not just chapter 13 of that story). If you want to vote for one, just make it clear in your story or put the word VOTE somewhere in there :S. You can still review a story and not vote for it. That would definitely be welcome.

Now, before I leave you with 13, please keep this in mind:

-Kimi no Koe is _much_ less OOC than Invisible.  
-Invisible contains boring, pointless scientific investigations that confuse readers.  
-Kimi no Koe has a superior sense of direction in comparison to Invisible.  
-Invisible is beta'd by Kuron, so most of the good squishy stuff you like is hers anyway.  
-Kimi no Koe is longer and more fulfilling. At chapter 12 for both, Invisible had 20000 words and Kimi no Koe had a whopping 30000.  
-Kimi no Koe is better. Vote for it.

Keeping that in mind, please take your time and think about your decision! I'm glad all of you review BOTH fics and I would encourage you to do so more than ever because:

WE'RE NOT WRITING CHAPTER 14 UNTIL WE GET 25 VOTES !  
(That's 25 total between both stories).

YAAAY! Thank you, and may the better fic (Kimi no Koe) win! D

And now chapter 13.

-Wraith

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"Mmm? Is someone there?" Kozue looked past Hikaru and saw someone leaving quickly.

Hikaru moved to block her view and smiled at her slyly. "Don't worry about it. It was probably just a stranger. Come on, let's get out of here. I forgot—we're going to go eat somewhere special."

--

Haruhi glanced at the clock, dropping her pen onto her desk with an ungraceful thud. She had been trying to concentrate hard on her homework, but there was really only one thing on her mind.

Since their talk that afternoon, she wondered how Kyouya was dealing with their complicated situation. She grimaced as she imagined what kind of tantrum Tamaki would throw at Kyouya.

She sighed and scolded herself for worrying about him again. _Maybe _I_ should have been the one to try and talk to him,_ she mused anxiously. _I don't know how he would react to either of us, but at least I don't think he would… hurt me._

She shook her head, tossing out such stupid notions. She decided to call Kyouya, risking interrupting him if he was doing something important. _He should be here by now, anyway,_ she reasoned. _It's his own fault for being late._

A bad feeling took over her as she realized that he was never late.

She picked up the phone and dialed quickly.

--

Kyouya walked swiftly back to the car. The driver looked startled to see him.

"Ootori-san! You're back so soon, is everything alri-"

"Get in the car," he commanded. "_Immediately._"

He threw open the door and stepped inside. Slamming the door shut, he leaned forward in his knees and put his head in his hands.

His phone began ringing and he picked it up immediately. "Ootori Kyouya speaking."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright. You aren't here yet, I thought something had happened to you. What's going on?"

Kyouya flinched as he heard Haruhi's voice. It sounded innocent and worried. _As if she's done nothing wrong,_ he thought bitterly.

"I was a little early," Kyouya said coldly. "Maybe you missed me because you were busy dealing with someone else."

"Huh? I… don't know what you mean. What are you talking about, Kyouya?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he spat angrily. "I saw you a few minutes ago. I can't believe I almost let you play me like a fool. I advise, for your own safety, that you _never_ come into contact with me again."

He hung up angrily and made to throw his phone out the window, but decided against it.

_I should have been more cautious,_ he realized. _I should have realized what she was up to._

Kyouya punched the car seat in frustration. Now he had caused trouble with Tamaki for no reason. He gritted his teeth as he realized his friend would never see him in the same light, and he wondered what he would think when he came face-to-face with Hitachiin Hikaru.

He loosened his tie and took a few deep breaths.

_What the hell is this feeling that's taking over my body?_

Kyouya thought of Hikaru kissing Haruhi. He fought a shudder as he recalled how intimate they looked, just moments ago. The grim side of his imagination took over, and he realized that they had probably hid this from him. The thought of Hikaru stroking and caressing Haruhi's body disgusted him.

Despair took over him and he stifled a cry that tried to escape from his throat. He buried his head in his hands. For some reason he felt that he had lost everything that he had, and lost the opportunity to claim everything that he wanted as his.

Something still bothered him about the encounter. He couldn't quite place it, but something was not in place. However, just the thought of Haruhi and Hikaru made him want to stop thinking abut it.

Looking out the window, he saw a blur of Hikaru strolling. Or Kaoru. Either way, it was one of the twins.

He realized that he wasn't sure which one of the twins was kissing Haruhi. It didn't matter.

"Stop the car immediately," Kyouya demanded in an authoritative tone.

"B-but… Ootori-san! We'll be blocking the flow of traffic!" the driver protested meekly.

"_Do it,_" he hissed. "Just stop for a moment, let me out, then drive back to the mansion."

The driver complied wordlessly. As soon as Kyouya stepped out of the car, he ran towards Hikaru. Or Kaoru. He heard the driver pull away somewhere behind him.

"Hik—Hitachiin!" he called out loudly, getting the attention of not only the red-headed target, but also of several other people walking by.

Kyouya caught up quickly, stopping just short of the Hitachiin sibling.

"Ah, Shadow King-senpai," he greeted, looking a little confused. "What are you doing around here?"

Kyouya observed that it was Kaoru after all. "I was just coming back from seeing Haruhi."

Kaoru looked surprised. "Oh is that so? Did you see Hikaru there as well?"

Kyouya scowled. Was this some kind of a sick joke?

"Yes, I did. And I happened to notice that he was particularly intimate with Haruhi, so I left them undisturbed. Would you mind telling me how long they have been in a relationship?"

Kaoru blanched. Then he stared.

Kyouya blinked. "Is something the matter?"

The red-head looked terribly distraught at the matter. "Senpai… that… probably wasn't Haruhi. That was… I'm sorry. My brother. He was trying to…"

His eyes widened behind his spectacles and he grabbed Kaoru's arm firmly. "What is going on, Kaoru?"

Kaoru took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I should have known…" he muttered sadly. "Nonetheless… Hikaru and I were both aware of the way Haruhi felt towards you. Hikaru became increasingly jealous. This morning… when Kozue-san came over with her hair cut short… I knew that he…"

Kyouya released his grip and stared with his arms by his sides. That is what bothered him. That girl was not Haruhi. Haruhi did not wear lacy dresses out of the house. She wore t-shirts and khaki shorts. Why didn't he notice sooner?

Kyouya quickly dialed Haruhi's number. The phone rang. Twice. Four times. Nothing. He hung up and looked around. It would be faster to run there now instead of calling the driver back to pick him up.

"Thank you, Kaoru. I must leave immediately. I have made a grave mistake," Kyouya told him before running in the direction of Haruhi's apartment.

"I'll go with you," Kaoru insisted, to Kyouya's surprise as he caught up with him. "I am part of the reason why this happened. I did not stop my brother even despite knowing his plans."

The Ootori heir said nothing, and after a moment, continued running.

--

Haruhi stared blankly ahead of her, concentrating on the phone that had been ringing just a moment ago. Why did this have to happen to her? Why did she have feelings for such a complicated man?

She sat in misery, staring at the ceiling, unable to process everything that had happened, much less wonder why.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a firm, loud knock on the door. Perhaps it would be someone that could raise her from her stupor.

She went to the door, and opened it cautiously. She hoped it wasn't him.

It wasn't.

"Why, good afternoon, Haruhi!" Kaoru gave a lopsided smile and waved at her, despite her appearance.

She stared. The confusion overloaded her mind, and she could feel herself fall forward.

"Haruhi!" cried out an alarmed voice, one that she recognized from somewhere far away…

--

Sometime later, Haruhi opened her eyes to see a familiar face staring at her through a pair of glasses.

"Leave me alone," she whispered as she turned away. She fought the urge to hold his hand at seeing his worried face.

"There is an explanation that you deserve to hear. If you still wish for me to leave afterwards, then I will not protest." He said this with such authority that Haruhi, weak with emotional shock, had no choice but to agree to.

Kaoru entered the small room and saw Kyouya leaning over her.

"Oh, she's awake," he offered her a small smile, which vanished as quickly as it had come. "Haruhi… I'm so sorry," he apologized to the confused looking girl. "My brother has done something terrible."

Kaoru explained what had happened, starting with his brother's feelings, and ending with his plan, the events that had transpired that day. Kyouya looked away when he had finished.

"Haruhi… I am sorry that I said those things to you. I should have inspected the situation more carefully, but when I thought I saw him kissing you…"

Haruhi sighed and closed her eyes, placing a hand on the side of his face, enjoying the feeling of his straight hair as she rustled it in between her fingers. Feeling daring, she firmly pulled his face towards hers.

"Tamaki," he muttered, freezing her motion and causing her to open her eyes. Despite the situation, her heart fluttered at seeing him this close. His lips were an inch away from hers but he didn't seem to mind.

"What did he say?" She asked, sighing tiredly.

"He plans to end the Host Club if you and I pursue a relationship."

The room paused as they let this new information sink in.

"Ugh," Kaoru grimaced. "That idiot. I have to go do something about this, so please excuse me."

"What are you planning, Kaoru?" Kyouya asked, not looking at him but instead gazing deeply into Haruhi's eyes.

"You'll see soon." Kaoru walked out of the room. Haruhi heard the front door open and close.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I know you don't want to lose the Host Club. But I want to pursue this, due to my own selfishness. I don't know what you want me to do."

Haruhi looked back at him. He tried to mask his worry, but his eyes betrayed him…or was it because his barriers were down when he was alone with her?

"We'll worry about that later," she whispered.

She pulled him close. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was his surprised look. She remembered thinking that his lips were soft as she threw her arms around his neck.

She was surprised when she felt him smile into her lips.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Another sloppily executed chapter. Blah.

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: O. M. G. –insert rabid fangirl squeal- KYAAAA! THAT WAS SO CUTE! xD YAY FOR KYOUYAxHARUHI!


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** T

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wraith: To my dear readers, reviewers, and to the fans of Kimi no Koe-

Thank you for all of your votes and participation! We got such a wide variety of responses that… uh, yeah… stuff… hm. Anyway, the final score was something like 27-30 or like 27-29 in favor of…

Kimi no Koe!

o.O

Anyway, we got responses ranging from OMG I refuse to choose between your two stories and OMG I refuse to choose between your two stories… vote for Invisible XD, Wraith, your retarded VOTE for kimi no koe, etc. etc. etc. Invisible is too slow Kimi no Koe is too FAST blahblhahblalhblhaajhsdkjalhsdkabsdlahah!

In 8 minutes I have to leave for class! I am writing this author's note as half of chapter 14 sits below me, so I guess I can write like another sentence in it.

I'm glad that KnK won (really!) aaaaand YEAH here is chapter 14!

P.S. Neko-chan thinks the votes are bull and that I should have won --

-Wraith

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"You could pay for those flowers with you body, too," he whispered, his breath hot on her face.

"Huh?"

Haruhi landed on the bed hard, staring up into his eyes. The hot passion that she saw in them was so thick that she felt it suffocating her.

"Do it," she hissed, gasping for air as she felt his fingers running up her leg, causing her to moan as he touched her skin with feather light caresses that left a fiery sensation lingering where his hand passed. "Make me yours."

He smiled, leaning forward to plant a fiery kiss on her lips. She arched her back to-

Haruhi awoke with a start.

She tried to sit up, but was only able to get up halfway before plopping her head back down onto her pillow. Her chest felt incredibly heavy.

She glanced at the clock to give her clues. 7:00. It was pretty dark out for that hour. She was glad it was a weekend. She wasn't sure she would be able to go to school if she couldn't even get out of bed.

The dark head of hair shifted on her chest and let out a groan. Haruhi froze.

In an instant, all the events of that afternoon hit her simultaneously. She remembered seeing him, and she grimaced as she recalled the story he told her, now even more uncertain of how to deal with Tamaki and Hikaru.

Kyouya shifted again, part of his leg hanging off the bed.

Haruhi looked down at his face. His expression was calm and relaxed, and he was even more handsome without his glasses. She blushed when she saw that his slightly parted lips were a little swollen, and imagined that her own probably were as well.

She stroked his hair lightly, and his eyes slowly opened unexpectedly. "Hmm?"

She smiled at him as their eyes met. "I think it's about time we had a talk."

--

Kyouya set his tea down on the table and let out a long sigh. "What do you want to discuss?"

Haruhi waved her hand as though the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "You and me. Tamaki. Hikaru. The Host Club. Everything. Where do you want to start?"

"The Host Club. Tamaki," He said as he tapped the cup with his finger, holding it firmly in his hand.

Haruhi bit her lip, but she was quite sure that her eyes were shining with determination. "If he wants to end the Host Club, then I suppose that's just a consequence that we can't avoid…"

"But I won't let that happen," Kyouya insisted. "I know how much you care for the Host Club, and I won't let him take it away from you."

Haruhi made a face at his comment.

"From us, from everyone," he corrected himself.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not going to give this up just because that idiot is feeling selfish," she said obstinately.

Kyouya allowed himself a small smile that Haruhi huffed at.

"I'll think of something eventually," he said vaguely, taking a sudden interest in the table.

"Mmm. I wonder what Kaoru is thinking," she thought aloud, raising her eyes to the ceiling, recalling the sweeter twin's words.

"I wonder what Hikaru is thinking," Kyouya muttered in contrast.

Haruhi sighed again as she thought of Hikaru's underhanded plot to derail Kyouya's relationship with her.

"I'll talk to both of them," she said, looking down at her cup of tea. She was not looking forward to confronting either the hotheaded twin or the hyperactive blonde. "I'll see if I can talk some sense into them."

"I suppose that would be the most reasonable way to deal with them," Kyouya agreed thoughtfully, but his face showed his doubt. "There doesn't seem to be a need to retaliate just yet."

"Retaliate?" she joked, but Kyouya kept a straight face.

_Guess he means business,_ she thought. _Then again, everything is business when it comes to Ootori Kyouya._

"Guess it was kind of dangerous to pursue a relationship with you, knowing that those two were interested as well," he muttered, clearly unhappy with the complications that they were causing him, or rather, that he was causing himself. "They're probably not finished either."

Haruhi reached across and took his hand, looking at his long, elegant fingers.

"I won't let them stop us," she puffed out her chest, and to her surprise, Kyouya laughed.

She stared at him as he chuckled at her, looking genuinely happy. She stared at the attractive man. She wondered why he didn't have many designators. Perhaps he intimidated the girls, but she didn't see how that would keep them away for long.

"Which leaves us," he commented, after he had set a straight face.

Haruhi blinked. "Sorry?"

"You wanted to talk about us as well," he reminded her, glancing at his watch and looking indisputably unhappy with the time.

"Oh, right," she gulped. Now that he was sitting right there in front of her, she felt a little anxious to ask him how he felt about her. "I wanted to know… how you feel about me," she muttered under her breath, pulling her hands away from his.

Kyouya watched her as he sipped his tea, looking at her over his cup. "I see."

He took another sip and stayed silent. After a minute had passed, Haruhi wondered whether he had forgotten what they were talking about.

She was about to interrupt his thoughts when he finally spoke up.

"I care about you."

She blinked. He _cares_ about her?

"Is that all?" she asked, feeling a little disappointed.

He stared back. "Were you expecting another answer?"

"Well, I'm sure you care about everyone else too, but you don't let them _kiss_ you," she said bluntly.

"It's not like any of them tried," he replied in a know-it-all tone.

"I can't believe you. If you really don't care about me any more or less than everyone else, then I want you to leave," she said calmly after his words sank in.

Her face must have openly showed hurt and surprise as he stood up from the table because she clenched her fists as a reflex.

_This is unbelievable,_ she thought, closing her eyes and waiting for him to walk out the door. _I thought there was something…_

She stood, her eyes still closed, prepared to lock the door after he left but then she opened her eyes in surprise as she felt his arms wrap around her, holding her closely from behind. Her deep breath caught the scent of tea, newspapers, expensive fabrics, and fancy car leather. As he held her close, she felt inexplicable warmth fill her, and slowly turned to clutch him tightly, obeying an abrupt urge that welled up inside of her.

"How much do you care about me?" he whispered into her ear curiously.

She held him tighter, feeling his warm breath tickle her ear.

"I think… I might love you, senpai," she answered. She closed her eyes and felt surprise cause a small tremble to run through his body.

She thought of Tamaki and Hikaru and the rest of the Host Club, and wondered exactly what they would think of them, should they pursue this relationship. As much as she tried to convince herself that she didn't care about their opinion, she found that there was still that sliver of guilt lying somewhere in her heart where it stabbed at her conscience.

Haruhi tightened her hold around Kyouya's warm body. Maybe she loved him. Maybe she didn't. But right here, right now, she felt the need to have him close, to have this mysterious, egoistic, but 'unexpectedly nice person' hold her and make her feel special in the strange way that no romantic ballad, no sweet nothing, no bouquet of roses could. She wanted to see that sweet warm smile emerge from underneath that cold, emotionless exterior. She wanted to learn all of his secrets, even though she probably never would.

She sighed deeply. It wasn't going to be fun, and it wasn't going to be easy.

She prepared for the worst.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: OMG, I finished this after writing the stupid author's note at the beginning (completed the second half, wrote the author's note after writing the first half so: first half of chapter 14 opening author's note finish chapter 14 this note). And guess what?! Now I'm probably late for class, which is gonna be awesome since I forgot to do the homework ANYWAY! WHOO!

Plus this chapter sucked so yeaaaah

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I will stop procrastinating. I will stop procrastinating. I will stop procrastinating. ENJOY THIS CHAPTER, EVERYONE! –runs off to BETA chapter 15-


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and **BETA'd** by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Kyouya frowned, looking up from his copious notes. Tamaki had not said one thing in class today, and it didn't take too many brain cells to conclude that he had been staring at him with scathing eyes since class began.

He dropped his pen, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with one hand. His notes ceased- the lecture continued. It wasn't as though he needed to take notes to stay ahead of the class, anyway. He had already studied the material the previous week.

'_I think I might love you,'_ Haruhi's voice echoed in his head, and he sat up abruptly.

Despite the wonderful feelings that she awoke in him, Kyouya still felt guilty for the way things had turned out. It was a little harder to retain that feeling of remorse when he looked over to see Tamaki's fiery glare, but he remembered that it was only a week and a half ago that he had looked over to see that idiot's stupid grin plastered onto his face.

_That idiot is giving me a headache,_ he thought, the idea of Haruhi talking some sense into him seemed like a very good idea. He hoped it would happen soon.

The class ended with the professor in mid-sentence. Kyouya packed away his materials quickly with the rest of the class. When he stood up to leave, he noticed that Tamaki was already gone.

--

Sitting down alone, Kyouya poked at his food as he pondered what everyone had brought to the table at this point.

Tamaki hated him. He wanted Haruhi for himself. That was obvious.

Hikaru as well. He had taken a less direct approach. He would have to be more wary of his future plans.

Kaoru, interestingly, did not stand behind his brother. He seemed to support whatever Haruhi chose... but it could be a ploy to help his brother in the long run. He couldn't underestimate those two.

Haruhi… yes. Hmm… the food today was only so-so.

Mitsukuni and Takash-

"Kyou-chan!"

_The coincidence is ridiculous_, Kyouya thought, shaking his head in disbelief as the loli-shota type bounced up to him.

"How are you, Kyou-chan? It's a wonderful day, isn't it!" Hunny bounced up to his empty table and sat down across from him. A few people followed him with their eyes, and Kyouya swore their ears perked up as they tried to listen in on their conversation. Surely a pair of good-looking seniors didn't belong in their lunch… unless they had something important to discuss.

"Quite." Kyouya's single-word response made the short senior giggle for no reason as they watched Morinozuka Takashi take a seat. Hunny looked especially short next to him.

"I didn't expect to see you until after classes. What brings you to see me?" Kyouya asked, tasting the caviar. He mentally prepared himself for Takashi to tell him to stay away from Haruhi because Hunny had feelings for her as well.

"So… so," Hunny chanted, his eyes getting larger. A large smile found its way onto his face. "Is it true that you and H-"

Kyouya's eyes widened as he realized what he was about to say. Mori put his hand firmly on Hunny's shoulder, silencing him. Hunny looked back up at him expectantly.

"Haruhi," Mori said simply, and Hunny stared at him with eyes that were asking the unspoken question that he wanted to ask. Loudly.

Kyouya stared and took a sip of water. What game were they playing? _If these two were up to something, it might not be wise to tell them the truth,_ he realized, considering his options. _However…_

"…Yes," he responded hesitantly, wondering if it was wise to speak truthfully.

Kyouya stared as Hunny's eyes got even larger.

"Oh! Kyou-chan, I'm so- ah!" Honey yelped as the very tall senior picked him up.

"Mitsukuni, let's go," Mori said calmly, unaffected and almost seemingly bored by the exchange. "You said that this is all you wanted to ask."

"But, but, Takashi, don't you think it's so wonderful? Both of us saw it from the beginning and…" Hunny babbled on as he stalked off, the former on his shoulders. Kyouya almost missed the slight smile that Mori sent his way.

Kyouya stared along with most of the lunchroom as they made their exit. The students still eating could not have heard their exchange. Those that did would not understand what it meant… hopefully. He wondered if his relationship was going to have any of the privacy that he had hoped for when he and Haruhi agreed to keep things discreet.

"_We won't let anyone know, right?" she asked, pulling back slightly to look up at him with her large brown eyes._

_He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose we have to," he concluded, furrowing his brows._

_Haruhi laughed and shook her head. "Don't make that face. It wouldn't do if your family found out you were… consorting with a commoner," she teased._

Losing whatever was left of his appetite, Kyouya left his tray of 'so-so' to be cleaned up by the lunchroom department staff. Gathering all his things, he scanned the room for Tamaki, but couldn't find him. He wondered why he hadn't been confronted yet.

Kyouya strolled back to the classroom to enjoy a quiet moment alone before class started. Recently, things were growing out of his control a little bit more than he was comfortable with. As he reached for the doorknob to the classroom, his attention shifted to the approaching footsteps.

"Ahh, Kyouya," Kaoru sounded relieved. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Is that so," Kyouya replied, sounding disinterested. He wondered where Tamaki was at the moment.

"Hmm, is something wrong, boyfriend-Shadow-King-san?" Kaoru tilted his head sideways. "Your focus seems to… be elsewhere."

Kyouya breathed deeply. It was almost a sigh. In this situation, he decided that he would make use of his only ally. "Tamaki wasn't at lunch. I haven't seen him since last we had class," he muttered. "I would at least like to know what your brother is up to."

Kaoru frowned, his hands on his hips. "Hmm, that idiot… I wouldn't be so worried about him. As for Hikaru…"

Kyouya's eyes followed him as he paced around. "Well?"

Kaoru's face fell slightly. "My brother… I don't think I've ever seen him so unhappy in his life. He knows that an attack on your trust won't work, and he assumes that, since you and Haruhi have overcome his trick, he believes that he won't win by fooling either of you two.

"All he does is sit around all day and play some stupid video game about aliens," he sighed. "He might be considering his next move… but I think he may have given up, overall."

Kyouya arched an eyebrow. "Really now. That would be the mature thing to do," he tapped his chin. Kaoru nodded at this. "However… you Hitachiin have a propensity for being immature. Perhaps you think he has given up, but I don't believe so."

Kaoru looked strangely impatient with his conclusion. "Well, captain, I'm sorry if you don't want to trust my intelligence. Unfortunately, that is all I have to report. Now, I must return to class." He performed a silly salute and then dashed away, to which Kyouya stared.

"Kyouya,"

Looking away from the retreating head of red hair, Kyouya turned to face the source of his interruption.

As if pushed by some unseen force, Haruhi fell to the ground, dropping her books as she hurried over.

"Haruhi—" Kyouya approached, bending down to see if she was unharmed.

"I'm fine," she huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Why were you talking to Hikaru? I thought we agreed to let me talk to him."

"I don't know. I haven't seen him all day," he replied, helping her up. "I met with Kaoru just a moment ago. He thinks that Hikaru won't bother us anymore,"

Haruhi stared, then made a strange face. "Just now?"

Kyouya suppressed his impatient reflex. "Yes, just now. I think he's up to something. He nearly—"

"Kyouya," she interrupted. "That was Hikaru you were talking to."

The couple stared at each other, frozen for a moment.

"Is that so?" Kyouya replied, sounding amused. "That is quite interesting."

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR269: Wow. So I haven't updated since 10-16, and now it's almost 2007. Since this is a bad fic, it's going to use it's secondary function as a blog! … Well nevermind, I forgot what I was going to say anyway.

Oh yeah, sorry I took so long, lots of work followed closely by finals and such, but at least it paid off (an A+, 2 A's, 3 B+'s, and a B, credits and all factored in that's a 3.61 GPA, sigh was hoping for better).

So like… let me tell you guys this awesome story… it's Tuesday, December 26, 2006, 6:34 AM, and Kuron won't get back til Friday so you probably won't read it until then.

But like half an hour ago, I was trying to get motivated to write this chapter, so I leafed through some of the reviews in order to feed my ego and inspirational glands.

LO and behold, some reader posts a review (SuperHeroGirlX) about finding the fic via YOUTUBE, and this caught my eye. So I went on Youtube and searched 'Ouran Invisible', and the THIRD hit is a freaking fan-made trailer of sorts for the fic. I watched it. Twice. Wait, let me watch it again. Three times. ANYWAY, sorry for holding everyone up for 50 days for ANOTHER mediocre chapter. Next chapter will have some awesome engineering scientific goodness that no one will understand… if I can fit it in there somewhere…

3 you, Blood Red Ink. So I figure the preview is like… the actual fic… sadly.

P.S. The video game that Hikaru is playing is a tribute to the video games I've been playing… Starcraft and Gears of War… both of which have aliens

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Why, hello, dear readers of Wraith-san! I know that he hasn't been updating lately (therefore, I haven't posted anything) but now that he's alive, he's going to continue Invisible—hopefully on a regular basis. (And just so everyone is clear, I am NOT co-writer. **I am merely his BETA reader**…so whatever junk he says about me helping him write is a pile of bullocks.) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Something strange is cooking up, don't you all think so?


	16. Chapter 16

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and BETA'd by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

Haruhi shivered against the wind, the cold feeling was like a sheet of needles slapping her in the face. She had decided that she would be sick the following day when a black car pulled up beside her. The window rolled down and Haruhi gazed up to find Kyouya gazing at her through unreadable eyes.

"You look like you could use a lift."

--

Looking out the window, Haruhi wondered again if all of those people that were staring at the passing black car were really unable to see her, sitting restlessly inside of it and looking completely out of place.

"Are you sure they can't see me while I'm in here?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap anxiously. This was the first time she truly cared about how she looked to the public eye. It was strange, wasn't it? That a simple person like her would be sitting inside a luxurious car with a man that was more than a step above her on the society ladder?

"They can't," Kyouya answered smoothly but quickly, as if he expected her to ask that question. His voice was cold, but Haruhi knew that he was deep in thought. She was quite certain she knew what he was thinking about too. Truthfully, she also wondered what those two friends of theirs were up to.

She sat idly beside the thinking man, wondering about her own feelings that brought her to where she was at the moment. She had to admit that she herself was surprised to end up with Kyouya, of all people.

Truthfully, she had previously imagined- no, previously _considered_- herself beside either Tamaki or Hikaru. If she were to follow up on those feelings, she figured that either boy would most likely reciprocate.

What engrossed her to Tamaki, despite his incredibly annoying behavior, was his predictable nature. Although his speech was nonsensical and his attitude was narcissistic, Haruhi found comfort in his obvious transparency and his straightforward demeanor. As far as relationships ran, she admitted that they would be able to talk openly about their feelings (or at least him to her) and be comfortably honest about it.

As for Hikaru, Haruhi was intrigued by his enigmatic and (although she hated to admit it) sadistic nature. While she understood some aspects of him, his true nature was a mystery to her, and the prospect of exploring and understanding him excited her. He _did _treat her like a toy, but she saw the way he cared for and treated his brother, and she knew that she could look forward to the same attention if he cared for her that way as well. She was sure that in a relationship with him, she would probably never grow bored. Having new and stylish clothes wasn't a high priority to her, but it might help in the future.

There was however, something about Kyouya that quickly convinced her that she should choose him instead. And so she did.

After much thought and deliberation, Haruhi came to the conclusion that Kyouya commanded a well-balanced blend of these traits. She took comfort in that his decisions were dictated by logic and reason, making him an understanding man. While his train of thought was profound, it followed a logical procession that made his ideas correct, and his reasoning linear and predictable. And yet…

"_Merry Christmas," she said cheerfully, handing him a small wrapped package._

_He raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair to open up the present that she handed over to him._

"_What is this?" He asked, inspecting the small box._

"_It's called a Rubik's cube," she told him. "It turns several different ways, and the nine squares on each face of the cube are supposed to match."_

_He stared at it more. "They already do. What's the point of a gift like this?"_

_Haruhi grabbed it from him, slightly irritated at his lack of appreciation for the gift that she got him. It was already hard enough shopping for him! He didn't have to look so unappreciative._

_Turning a few of the sides rapidly, she quickly ruined the matching faces of the puzzle._

"_There." _

_As she placed down the toy, Kyouya immediately picked it up._

_He turned a few of the sides slowly. Then, after a few minutes, more rapidly, looking irritated. "Never mind," he grumbled, putting down the gift firmly._

The following day, she had found the puzzle on her living room table, solved. She wondered how he had gained entry into her home as well.

"I developed a formula for several different situations," he described later that day. She gave him a sideways smile. She had never seen him so focused on something. He seemed not to hear her when she asked how he was able to put the cube in the living room in the first place.

There was still so much about him that she didn't know. It was not too long ago that she discovered the warmth of his smile, the depth of his life. His intricate mind… it was a puzzle that she would never be able to solve...and perhaps that was why she chose him out of the Host Club.

"What are you thinking about?"

Haruhi snapped back to reality, finding Kyouya's gaze upon her. His voice had lost the sharpness that it held a moment ago. The look in his eyes revealed just how weary he had become.

They looked at each other for a moment like that.

"You," she sighed, tired of everything that had been bothering the two of them since the very beginning. He didn't react.

"What were _you_ thinking about?" she asked back, trying to fill the silence.

Kyouya sighed, smiling slightly. "Well, nothing in particular…"

"Huh?" came her intelligent reply as she watched him carefully.

"I was thinking about Tamaki and Hikaru… and how much they want to keep you for themselves."

Haruhi pondered this statement herself for a moment, and then shook her head in disagreement. "At this point, I don't think that's what they're even focused on… It seems as though they just want to make you miserable. They just want to drive us apart."

"Don't you think they would want to trade places with me in the end?"

"If that was really their goal, they would have been more careful to not damage my image of them. By now, they probably just feel that you deserve me the least… and the best way to deal with their misery is to share some with you."

"I guess that's how some things develop," he agreed. "I suppose they did lose sight of the bigger picture."

They sat in silence, looking at each other affectionately for a few minutes. Finally, Haruhi reached out quickly and took his hand in her own. He didn't protest.

"Why did all this trouble have to come with choosing the only sane one?" She sighed, exasperated. "I'm so tired of dealing with all of this."

"Mm." He replied, squeezing her hand gently.

"Ootori-san, we've reached our destination," the driver reported from the driver's seat. Indeed, the car soon came to a halt.

"Thank you," Kyouya replied, and stepped out of the car with Haruhi.

The air outside was frigid, and Haruhi shivered as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She walked with Kyouya in silence to her door. He looked unaffected by the cold.

Plugging the key in the lock and turning it, her hand rested on the knob as she stared at the door.

Turning to face Kyouya, they embraced each other lightly, and Haruhi glanced at the studious, calculating genius. There were so many things about him that she didn't know. She would never learn all of his secrets, but a part of her wanted to try and yet, there was a part of her that wanted him to reveal those secrets to her himself.

"Why do you do this, Kyouya?" she asked him, fully aware but unsure of why she asked such a vague question.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you push yourself so hard to be the best in your class? Is it really a goal of yours to do better, or make more money than everyone else? Do you enjoy beating out the competition?"

Kyouya shook his head, looking at her as if forlorn. "Haruhi… I don't know what my goal in life is. You are one of the only things that I have ever really…needed—wanted—I suppose. It would be too simple to just forget all of my responsibilities- I don't think that I would be any less satisfied than I am now.

"But I have a feeling that… sometime in the future, I'm going to find something I need, or a reason to live, or a goal for me to achieve. And I am sure that… if I work hard enough… when it comes along, I'll be ready to handle the responsibility of having a purpose."

A cold wind blew past them and Haruhi clutched him even tighter.

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR249: I-… really have no idea where this chapter was going, so… yeah. Anyway, it's 10 AM which is way too early for me… and I haven't gone to sleep yet. At least it's a Saturday, so I have no class… This past Thursday, I overslept and missed all my classes.

Anyway, the overall lesson of this chapter is to not forget the big picture, even if you don't know what it is yet. Hikaru and Tamaki have already done so… Kyouya still has everything in focus. I tried to incorporate the fencing lesson into this chapter, but I failed to do so… in a nutshell, it goes as follows.

**Scientific Investigation- Skip if this bores you**

Fencing, simply put, is what we would _like_ to call the art of sword fighting. It began sometime in the 19th century, but that isn't the important part. Prior to the 1960's, fencing was observed by judges who would attempt to discern, during a match, exactly when a hit was scored. Of course, since fencing is pretty fast, judges can miss these things, so during the 1960's the electrification of the foil (a type of sword) was the first step in using sensors to replace the eyes of the judges.

Okay, this is getting long so… the sensors overrode a lot of rules of fencing, and replaced a lot of the movements and strategies, since a sensor could pick up quick hits that judges couldn't pick up on. Technology helped to evolve the sport of fencing.

But my point is, was it really such a good idea to evolve that kind of thing? Although it makes it more fair, since judges might see some things and miss others (thus granting the favor towards one fencer), would some miniscule little hit really harm a guy if it were a real sword? Does that really matter, you ask me- but isn't this sport supposed to be like, sword fighting, or something? How does a tiny little poke score the same as a huge slash across a guy's chest?

The entire fencing thing is arguable, of course, since it is a sport, and what a sport functions as does not necessarily have to fit any sort of meaning, especially not what I said. Sports are free to evolve and change. But take the meaning out of the example for just a second.

Are you at school to learn, or for the grades? Sometimes we get good grades and learn something, which is what we're supposed to do. That's when we score a hit in fencing and it's a damaging blow. Other times, we get good grades and we don't learn anything. That's when we score a hit and it was a little poke.

So really… think about what you're doing, and ask yourself… what's it really all about?

**End of Scientific Investigation  
**

Yeah, so another pointless chapter… maybe next chapter I'll get somewhere with this…

P.S. I want a PS3

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: Ano…what to say about this chapter? I suppose this is a little bit of an insight to what Kyouya and Haruhi feel for each other (although more of how Haruhi feels for Kyouya) and how they are already being accustomed to being more than just "acquaintance" or just "friends."

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and a bit of fluff at the end. (Although I can't say that it's completely fluff…) Hopefully, Wraith-san feels more inspired soon to write chapter 17. Thank you all for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Title:** Invisible  
**Written by:** WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
By WraithR249  
(and BETA'd by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

A shiver ran up her spine and after a long moment, Haruhi realized that she was running out of air.

Pulling back from the kiss and panting heavily, she avoided Kyouya's gaze, feeling utterly embarrassed. This certainly wasn't what she had in mind when she had invited him in for tea.

_Or… was it?_ She thought to herself, fighting a grin that was edging its way onto her face.

"Are we really going to have some tea or…?"

A frown replaced the grin instead as she found a knowing smirk on Kyouya's face, as if he knew something he wasn't supposed to.

"Never mind. I'll go make tea," she muttered, backing into the kitchen. A gentle hand on her shoulder paused her retreat. She turned back around to face him, subconsciously expecting another kiss.

"I'll help," he said quietly.

--

Haruhi set the teacups down onto the table and poured the tea carefully. Kyouya sat down beside her, grasped the cup from the other end of the table and took a sip. He looked satisfied.

Raising an eyebrow at his uncharacteristic display of affection, Haruhi sat down in front of her own cup of tea, inspecting him curiously.

Kyouya looked back at her, mirroring her expression.

"Am I not allowed to sit next to you and drink tea?"

_That's right, _she thought to herself. _He's already reached the level of a mind reader._

_Wait a second…_

"That would mean that you have acknowledged that it's strange to sit next to me," Haruhi replied, looking wry.

Kyouya stared for a brief moment before replying, "That means I acknowledge that _you_ think it's strange for me to sit next to you."

"You'd have to think it strange in order to recognize that I would think it strange, wouldn't you?"

"Not necessarily. I can tell when you think something is out of place, and it is only a matter of recognizing what you consider to be peculiar about a given situation." He retaliated.

"Ah. Then you must have already noticed that I find it odd that we're having this conversation."

Kyouya paused for a moment before stating, "Maybe I have."

Haruhi couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and Kyouya gave her a soft smile as he sipped his tea. "Being with you like this still feels… a little strange to me."

Her laughter subsided, and she found his warm eyes on hers, making her heart flutter a little.

"Is that so?"

The two leaned closer, and Haruhi closed her eyes as she inhaled his scent that she was getting quite familiar with. Mixed with the tea that she had made for them, the smell was… how does one put it…?

_BLEEP BLEEP. BRRRRING._

Well, not quite that.

Their faces were only an inch away from contact and Kyouya jumped back, reaching into his pocket. "Ah, my phone," he said, looking just the slightest bit embarrassed.

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I wonder who it could be."

Kyouya produced his phone from his pocket, looking at it almost disbelievingly before answering. "Hunny-senpai?"

"Kyo-chan, Kyo-chan!" Hunny wailed into the receiver. "Something terrible is happening!"

"What is it?" he asked, sounding concerned. It was already uncommon enough for him to receive a call from another member of the Host Club that wasn't Tamaki.

"I'm afraid I can't understand you," Kyouya explained to the babbling senior.

"Kyouya." Mori's crisp voice came through clearly through the receiver.

"Mori-senpai, has something come up?"

"Tamaki. He wants to dissolve the Host Club. We think he's already handed in the papers. That means…"

"Damn," Kyouya gritted his teeth. "That means I only have two days."

"Twenty-four hours," Mori corrected. "It appears as though he submitted them yesterday."

"That idiot." Kyouya punched the wall, causing Haruhi to jump a little bit.

"Hey!"

"Sorry," he apologized. "I forgot where I was."

"You're with Haruhi," Mori observed. "Perhaps it's best that she is the one to speak with him."

"I considered that," agreed Kyouya. "But I'm not quite sure how he'll react."

"That's true. But we can be certain that he won't be happy to see you."

"Agreed. Alright then, we're going to stop him."

Kyouya hung up his phone. Haruhi glanced at him expectantly through curious eyes.

"Tamaki is trying to close down the Host Club."

"What?!" Haruhi stood up, almost knocking over her cup of tea before she hurried to rescue it.

"He submitted the forms yesterday to the administration. We still have one day left to change his mind and have him reverse the process."

"You want me to go then." Haruhi said quietly.

"Yes," Kyouya replied as he slipped his cell phone back into his pocket.

"I'll try my best." Haruhi made to get her coat.

"Wait." Kyouya grabbed her arm before she could reach for it.

She looked at him, surprised, as she asked, "What is it?"

"Haruhi…" Kyouya paused, not used to talking so openly about feelings- others' or his own. "I know how much you love the Host Club. And we're going to try our best to stop this from happening, but—"

"_Sen-pai,_" she said slowly, interrupting him. "No, Kyouya," she corrected herself, reaching out to touch his face. "The Host Club… it made my first year at Ouran an amazing one. I have so many wonderful memories from being around you strange, rich people," she teased.

"But it's not the Host Club I love. It's the people in it, my friends. They are what I care about the most. And to be honest," she sighed, looking away. "To be honest, it hurts that everyone is acting this way. I really wanted them to be happy for me—for us."

Kyouya seemed to ponder this for a minute, and then nodded his head. "I understand. Then, if you're ready, shall we handle this?"

"I don't see why not. Now is as good a time as any."

Kyouya smiled, "Let's go stop our idiot king."

--

**Authors' Notes:**

-WraithR249: Ha, I was going to make this chapter twice as long to make up for the slow updates recently, but I figured, why do tonight what I can do some other unknown night in the future? Which sounded _much_ more appealing to me.

Not much to say about this chapter except… well… at least I have an idea as to what will happen next…

As you can probably guess there is no scientific investigation incorporated into this chapter (sadly)! Therefore this A/N goes out to the readers (I guess)! I'll address the few (more like ultra-meager) reviews that we got for chapter 16. Without naming names.

First one is about Tae Kwon Do (how I learned to spell it in English). In one of the reviews, one reader mentioned something about using sensors in case a judge couldn't really see.

My response: That's interesting. I have trained in Tae Kwon Do for 13 years and been to a few tournies, but all of them have only been states (I haven't been to any nationals), and I haven't seen any electronic sensors- do they use them for like the Olympics, too?

To be perfectly honest with you, I don't see the practicality in the use of sensors there- in the sparring matches I've been in, a lot of speed and force was used, and at times when I have blocked some kind of strike, it had enough force to make my block (arms) make contact with my body/head. Would that not set off the sensors? We used the 4 judge system in my tournies.

Next review is about McDonalds. Or more specifically, Ronald himself.

My response: You know, I haven't seen the big guy in a long time. Where the heck has he gone? I guess he doesn't really appeal anymore, what with all the health awareness we have these days.

Third review is about kicking me. Followed by running away.

My response: Ow. Here's the next chapter. Written fast and sloppy, just for you.

Fourth review is thanking me for updating.

My response: You're welcome. Have another, coming your way.

Most recent review for chapter 16 decides that the rubik's cube was a good idea for a gift.

My response: DAMN!! I saw the movie "Pursuit of Happyness," and Will Smith solved a Rubik's Cube. Essentially what I did in a nutshell is bought a Rubik's cube, screwed it up, and did what I made Kyouya do- figure out how to solve it. It took me around 3-4 hours to figure out how to solve it the first time… As you read last chapter, something like "I developed several formulae to deal with several different situations that came up," or something like that. I was able to solve it in about 1-2 minutes pretty consistently when I was on the train (from Rutgers Newark to Trenton, so I could then head back to school in Philly, Drexel) when I fell asleep solving it… and when I woke up, it was gone from my hand! Thinking that the cube was in my bag somewhere, I got up and left Trenton to head back to Philly. On the way to Philly, I realized I had dropped my cube somewhere on the train, leaving it behind.

I fell asleep again on the way to Philly, missing my stop. I got off three stops later when I woke up, ran under the tracks to get on a train heading back, which closed the doors IN MY FACE. This was not even a freaking joke. I have never been so close to catching a train in my life and missing it.

Made it to class on time though.

Okay, 1.5 pages of Author's notes is too much. I'll put up chapter 18 like… tomorrow night to make it up to you guys.

Btw, if you haven't seen it, watch this to hole you over:

www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v(equal)7r-aBe2dvXo

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: I'm not even going to bother reading Wraith-san's author's notes. Way too long. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Ganbatte, Kyouya and Haruhi!


	18. Author's Request

Dear Invisible Readers:

For those of you who received notifications that there was a chapter 18 for this story and were totally stoked up about it, I apologize sincerely for inviting you here on such false pretense. After receiving e-mails for the past (how long has it been since we last updated this story?) however many months about people still favoriting and watching this story, I spoke to Wraith-san about the continuation of the story. However, he stated that he was no longer interested in continuing this story. This was a couple of months ago.

There were a few people who reviewed chapter 17 of this story and asked for us to update and I replied that a continuation is no longer plausible. I PM'd those people who have reviewed about the situation but there are those people who do not review but subscribe to the story that I did not notify about this story's hiatus.

However, lately, I've still been receiving those notifications, indicating that there are people who are still reading this story and would like to see more of it. This is where I ask for some suggestions or advice:

I am willing to take up this project (by myself this time—without Wraith-san) and granted, it may take me a little while to catch up and try to figure out where Wraith-san was going with this story. However, those of you who commented on how they loved Wraith-san's interpretation of Kyouya and Haruhi's intelligent conversations will be disappointed in any future chapters I may write, as I am not an engineering major like he is. I am an English and Chinese double major because I am fully aware that I plain suck at math and science and technology.

I wish to hear everyone's thoughts and concerns about this. If there are enough people who are willing to read this story as** I** interpret it, I will do my best to finish this story. If there are people who are happy with how chapter 17 ended and would not like me to finish it, please let me know so that I know not to continue the story. I will give everyone some time to think this over and once I get enough suggestions, I will let everyone know what the results are.

Thank you all so very much.

Sincerely,  
Yue Guang Kuroneko


	19. Chapter 18

**Title:** Invisible  
**Now****written by:** Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
Taken over by: Yue Guang Kuroneko

--

He couldn't believe how nervous he was as he and Haruhi seated themselves in the limo he called for minutes ago. Haruhi was important to him—even more important than his family title and, in some aspects, the Host Club—and, this he readily (and secretly) agreed with, was just as important as Tamaki's friendship. But it seems that he could not have both. Is this punishment of some sort for treating people like tools and only getting involved with them due to the benefits they provided for him? Surely, he saw Tamaki that way at first, but that was a connection that deepened into something that was more than just benefits. To think that he betrayed his best friend! Kyouya couldn't blame everything on Tamaki (after all, if he hadn't fallen for Haruhi, none of this would be happening) but he secretly wanted to curse Tamaki for making everything so difficult. He wouldn't have minded if Tamaki took out his anger on himself—he deserved every bit of Tamaki's malice and he was willing to accept it—but Tamaki wasn't only aiming for the best friend that betrayed him.

Kyouya glanced over at Haruhi who seemed to be lost in thought as she gazed out of the window. He unconsciously reached out to take her hand in his as his mind began whirring again.

Tamaki was never the type to hold grudges. He didn't blame his grandmother for screwing with his life and not accepting him the way he is. He didn't blame his father for even considering being with his mother, even though his father should have known the reaction of his family should they ever find out about their secret relationship. He accepted everything readily and only kept his eyes forward as he set out to prove his worth to the entire world.

But Kyouya knew that what he did was unforgivable in his friend's eyes. After all, he certainly did nothing to deserve Fujioka Haruhi. He was a cold, heartless businessman in Tamaki's eyes, so why did Haruhi choose him in the first place?

Kyouya realized with a jolt that he felt something hit him in the chest. It was not like anything he's ever felt before. It was a bittersweet feeling; something that made him feel angry and disappointed and upset but he also felt relieved.

"Kyouya?"

He turned his attention to the girl sitting next to him and realized that she looked smaller and frailer than he remembered her to be.

"What is it?" she asked him, gently urging him to speak his mind.

He then became conscious that this small—but stubborn, he chuckled lightly to himself—girl was going to face Suou Tamaki by herself.

Instead of answering her question, he only pulled her towards him so that he embraced her tightly in his arms. He could say nothing to comfort her. Tamaki was special to her and he knew that. After all, Tamaki was, undeniably, the Host Club's King and he was the one who brought all of them together.

"Ootori-san, we have arrived at the Suou residence," his driver coughed lightly from his seat.

"Kyouya," Haruhi murmured, "I have to go."

He didn't know what to say to comfort her. How could he find the words to give her strength to face Tamaki? To at least let her know that he'll be waiting outside those doors for her return?

"Haruhi," he said quietly, clearly voicing that he had something to tell her. "Do you remember the discussion we had earlier with some of your customers?"

Haruhi sounded slightly puzzled, "Which one?"

"The one about true love," he insisted as he pulled away slightly to look into her eyes.

"Oh," Haruhi's eyes lit up at the thought, "yes, I do. Why?"

"About how true love is 'being able to overcome any earthly attempt to ruin the relationship'?" he quoted her.

"Yes," Haruhi seemed to have found his skills to quote her exactly slightly amusing, "and how you think that true love is when 'all obstacles that arise are overcome, and this only strengthens the bond of your love'?"

"Don't tease me," he said as she laughed lightly into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Haruhi smiled up at him beautifully. He was afraid he was never going to be able to see that smile again. And this was all because of his selfishness of wanting to be with her. "What about it?"

He hugged her tightly to him again as he whispered, "We'll prove our theories to be correct; I promise."

Haruhi said nothing in reply but that didn't concern him. She only nodded into his chest and tightened her hold on him and that was enough. He didn't need words of confirmation to know that she felt the same way—he felt them more deeply in his heart when she didn't.

"I have to go," she said as she pulled away. "If I don't go now, I don't think I'll have any courage to face him."

"You'll do fine," he smiled at her as he leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "I'll wait for you here."

"Yes," she smiled up at him as she reached out her hand to open the door.

He stopped her and she gazed up at him curiously, but he had nothing more to say to her. He simply didn't want her to leave him because he was slightly afraid that this was going to be the last time he was going to see her. Whatever will be discussed in that house would be muted to his ears and he couldn't bear that thought.

"I won't be long," she comforted him. "I'll be back soon."

He allowed her to pull away and as she stepped out of the limo, he could see her eyes shining with determination. Somehow, the sight of Haruhi gathering her nerves to defend him—them, he silently corrected himself—made him feel invincible.

"Where shall I drive to now, Ootori-san?" his driver, Kazuya, asked him curiously.

"We'll be staying here," Kyouya answered quietly, his eyes on Haruhi's figure as she cautiously walked up those marble steps, "until she returns."

"Yes, sir," Kazuya answered immediately with a bit of understanding in his voice.

He had nothing to worry about from Hunny and Mori. They seemed to have foreseen the developing feelings that he and Haruhi held for each other (which actually seemed a bit creepy to him, but nevertheless, they didn't oppose the relationship, so really, that didn't matter too much to him.)

Kaoru…well, he wasn't quite sure what to think of Kaoru and Hikaru's relationship. Kaoru had always been the nicer of the twins—more considerate, less selfish—but he also loved Hikaru an enormous amount. He could tell that Kaoru also harbored small feelings for Haruhi, but he just wasn't quite sure how deep those feelings were. Were they strong enough to want Haruhi for himself? Or not-quite-so-strong that he wanted to plant Haruhi with Hikaru? Or did he just want Haruhi to be happy?

Then there's Hikaru. What was the point in pretending to be Kaoru and telling him that he just might be giving up Haruhi? Was it some sort of a trick or was he being sincere and was simply just awkward about the situation? No matter the reasons behind it, Kyouya was going to watch for any more underhanded tricks in the future.

And Tamaki. Well, he supposed that worrying about the others shouldn't be his first priority. After all, they had to save the Host Club first and to do that, they had to have Tamaki's blessing. It was a pain and all Kyouya and Haruhi wanted was to be with each other. But he knew that the Host Club—no, the people in the Host Club—were very important to her and to have them accept them as a couple was equally as important.

Kyouya wasn't going to allow Tamaki to ruin this budding relationship with Haruhi and he definitely wasn't going to allow that blond-headed idiot to end their bonds either. If Tamaki was going to bring them together, there was no way in hell Kyouya was going to let him tear it all apart.

He was going to do his own part in patching things up. But for now, he'll just have to wait for Haruhi to talk to Tamaki and straighten everything out. He'll just _have to_ wait.

--

**Author's Note:** So, I got about thirty reviews that all basically said "FINISH IT!" (although, much, much nicer than that. haha!) so I'm continuing the series. For those of you who are concerned about "Endless Story", don't worry…I have most of chapters nine and ten planned and written. They should be up…soon-ish, I hope! Also, I have an extra chapter of "Itsu Made Mo" written and ready to post within a few hours, so I hope everyone looks forward to that as well!

College starts for me on the 22nd, but hopefully I can find some more time to write and become more inspired as time goes on. Thank you to everyone who is supporting me and is waiting patiently for me to release new chapters of my stories! You have no idea how much I love every single one of you!


	20. Chapter 19

**Title:** Invisible  
**Now****written by:** Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
Taken over by: Yue Guang Kuroneko

--

Haruhi took one slow step after another, running over the things she was planning on saying to Tamaki. She wasn't afraid of him—he was harmless, really—but she didn't want to hurt him anymore than they already have. It wasn't as if they were together just to spite him, but it's better to be cautious than to be reckless when talking to an angered Tamaki.

She took one deep breath, gazed back at the Ootori limo just for a moment before she rang the doorbell.

It rang once. Twice. Haruhi raised her hand to ring the bell again when the doors opened quickly to reveal a flustered Tamaki.

"Tamaki-senpai…"

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Tamaki pulled her violently into the mansion, thankfully (she thinks) not gazing past her at the Ootori limo sitting there. "I have a few questions for you, Haruhi!"

She said nothing as she practically flew through various lavish rooms, analyzing Tamaki's expression. Was he upset with her? Did he finally decide to accept them as they were?

They ended up in a very large room where she spotted Kaoru seated in a seat, drinking a cup of what seemed to be hot chocolate.

"Haruhi," he nodded his greetings

"Kaoru," she was surprised to find Kaoru by himself. Then again, Kaoru didn't seem to support Hikaru and that may have affected their relationship in some way.

"Now that she's here," Tamaki coughed to get their attention, "let's get started, shall we?"

"He was waiting for you to come," Kaoru murmured as Tamaki sat down in a seat across from them. "Said that you would manage to sneak past the devil to see him."

Haruhi sighed as she declined Tamaki's sparkling (literally) offer of commoner snacks, "What do you want, Tamaki-senpai?"

"That's what I should be asking, isn't it?"

Haruhi wasn't surprised to hear the snappish attitude in his voice and said quietly, "You know why I'm here, Tamaki-senpai."

Tamaki was silent before he turned towards Kaoru with well-hidden emotions.

"I'm here to talk about the same matter," Kaoru said without much prompt from Tamaki, "and to talk to you about your ridiculous scheme to break them apart."

"I warned him," Tamaki said emotionlessly. "I already warned him and he didn't listen. It's his fault."

"It's not his fault," Kaoru said exasperatedly as he placed down his cup of untouched chocolate. "This isn't anyone's fault."

Haruhi was silent as she watched Tamaki's face. It was dull and grey—almost sad-looking. This wasn't the Tamaki she knew and grew to admire. She wasn't quite sure she liked this side of him because she considered him a good friend of hers but he wasn't doing what a good friend usually did—wish for her happiness. She knew that Kyouya was secretly hurt by his best friend (after all, his best friend was threatening to tear them apart—not to forget to mention that Tamaki thought of him as an emotionless scumbag) even though he admitted that it was his fault for betraying his friend in the first place. She just wished that Kyouya would stop blaming himself and that Tamaki would stop acting like a spoiled brat.

"It's his fault for not taking my warning seriously," Tamaki's voice rose at the end of his sentence.

"It's not Kyouya's fault," she spoke up quietly, wringing her hands in frustration. Why were men so stupid? "It's not his fault."

"Yes it is!" Tamaki stood up, his violet-blue eyes darkening into a very dangerous dark color. "He betrayed me!"

"If someone betrayed anyone, it would be me," Haruhi said calmly as she stared up at the half-French. "Even if Kyouya didn't openly love me, I would never return your feelings, Tamaki-senpai."

"Haruhi," Kaoru warned her as the tension in the air increased.

Haruhi ignored him as she continued in that same voice, her eyes holding Tamaki's, "I don't love you the way I love him."

"Then the Host Club will end," Tamaki snarled as he seated himself back down into his seat. "You'll never see it again."

"That doesn't matter to me," she replied as she closed her eyes. "The Host Club is nothing to me. In fact, I'd probably be happier if the Host Club ended."

"_Haruhi_!" Kaoru whispered loudly.

"And do you know why, Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi opened her eyes and stared defiantly into the man's eyes. "Because it's the _people_ in the club that matter to me. Even if the club ended and we aren't obligated to meet up in the Third Music Room every day after school, I can still see the friends I have made in the Host Club. Don't you understand, senpai? I don't care about the club itself—I care about this relationship I have with Kyouya; I care about the friends that I've made the past year; I care about the things I've learned—the club is nothing compared to any of that!"

"Then you'll just have to go without a friend," Tamaki said stubbornly.

She knew that this was coming; she knew it and she prepared herself for it but somehow, actually hearing those words come out of his mouth, it still hurt her. She let out a sigh as she sunk back into the couch.

"Tono, this isn't fair to Haruhi," Kaoru picked up on her weariness and began to fight in her place. "Actually, this isn't fair to any of us. The only person you have a grudge against is Kyouya-senpai—why do you have to torture all of us in the midst of that?"

"Do you support them, Kaoru?"

"Yes," Kaoru stated firmly without any hesitation. "If being with Kyouya-senpai is what Haruhi wants, then I support her. I know that Kyouya-senpai loves Haruhi, so I don't see why I can't support them."

"Even though he's emotionless and evil?"

"But you know he's not,"

Haruhi was surprised that Tamaki didn't retaliate. She figured that since he had so much pent up anger towards Kyouya, he would openly state that he hated Kyouya and Kyouya was nothing but a scumbag. Even if they knew that he wouldn't have meant it, she still expected it. After all, they all knew that Tamaki took Kyouya's "betrayal" very seriously.

"Either way, I'm not taking back that notice," Tamaki changed the subject. "The Host Club will end."

"Don't be an idiot, Tamaki,"

Haruhi froze as she heard Kyouya's voice. What was he doing in the room?! Did he want to incur more of Tamaki's wrath?

"Kyouya-senpai!" Kaoru, too, sounded surprised.

"I'm sorry," she heard him say and gazed up at him to find that he was looking at her as he said this. "I know we agreed that you'd be the one to talk to him, but I realized that this isn't something you should be involved in."

"Don't be ridiculous," she managed to say as he strode towards her. "We're in this together—" She was cut off as Kyouya placed his finger at her lips.

"Tamaki and I need to work this out ourselves, Haruhi, Kaoru."

"Let's go, Haruhi," Kaoru was compliant after a moment of contemplative silence. "Kyouya-senpai's right."

"I have nothing to say to you," Tamaki was glaring daggers into Kyouya's head.

"Come on, Haruhi," Kaoru helped her to her feet. He began to lead her out of the room as she gazed back at Kyouya desperately, fighting against Kaoru.

"Please," Kyouya said quietly.

Hearing that word come out of Kyouya's mouth, Haruhi felt herself weaken and allowed Kaoru to pull her away.

"He can handle himself," Kaoru comforted her as they waited patiently on the steps of the third Suou mansion. "You know that."

"This isn't something that he should be taking on alone," Haruhi buried her face into her knees. "This is our problem, not his own."

"I know," Kaoru laughed as he patted her on the back. "But the root of this problem lies between Tamaki-senpai and Kyouya-senpai."

Haruhi let out a sigh as she nodded. It was bound to turn out like this but she didn't know whether she could accept it or not.

" JUST GET OUT!"

Haruhi jumped as she heard Tamaki roar through the doors.

"Don't bring Haruhi into this, Tamaki," Kyouya was saying as he coolly opened the front doors of the mansion. "She didn't choose you."

Haruhi leapt out of her seat as a crash came from behind the door that Kyouya luckily closed in time.

"What happened?" she asked breathlessly as Kaoru gaped at the exchange.

"He won't take the notice back," Kyouya explained as he stared off into the distance. "There's nothing we can do about it, he says."

"Don't worry," Haruhi smiled weakly at him, secretly thankful that the shattered vase was on the floor and not embedded in Kyouya's body. "We don't need the Host Club."

"But you think that everyone else still needs the Host Club, don't you?" Kyouya asked her as he wrapped his arms around her. She noticed that he was shaking lightly and smiled into his jacket. She steadied herself and returned his embrace.

This man was incredible. She wasn't referring to his various, convincing façades, or his ability to keep that annoying mask on, or even those underhanded tricks that he managed to get away with. Granted, they were all very incredible (and incredibly sleazy) but she couldn't understand why no one could see through that poorly hidden human side to him. He could see through everyone—all of their hidden ambitions, emotions, and thoughts weren't lost to him, but no one could see through _him_.

"We don't need the Host Club," Kaoru offered in comfort and Haruhi let out a small laugh. "And I'm sure that Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai wouldn't mind not having a Host Club either. We can always be together outside of the club."

Haruhi smiled at Kaoru and pulled away from Kyouya to thank Kaoru but was instead was attacked by a hug.

"We'll be fine," Kaoru said quietly into her hair. "So don't worry about us."

She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and could only reply with a smile. She was happy that she hadn't lost most of her friends, but she knew that there was no way she was going to let the Host Club end. Kyouya wouldn't allow it and she wasn't planning on it either.

"We'll bring it back," Kyouya confirmed her thoughts. "Even if you don't need it,"

"Yes," Haruhi said firmly. "Because everyone else needs the Host Club even if the members don't."

Kaoru was the one who started laughing before she also began to laugh. As they both laughed merrily together, Haruhi caught her love's smiling face to the side. Strangely, seeing him smile like this, so openly, was a very nice feeling. This made her even more determined to bring back the Host Club and to put Tamaki in his place. This was going to be her first court case and there was no way in hell she was going to lose!

--

**Author's Note:** It took me a while to find a good ending to this chapter. I was planning on just wrapping up the entire story in this chapter but I figured that since this story originated from Wraith-san, I should keep it running a little more. I'm definitely planning on putting some more KyouyaxHaruhi one-on-one conversations in here so ending it with this chapter just wouldn't satisfy me as a writer and I'm sure it wouldn't satisfy you all as readers.

Thank you all for reading this! And an extra, extra thank you for those of you who still review, however mediocre my writing style is compared to Wraith-san's! You have no idea how happy those reviews make me -love love love-


	21. Chapter 20

**Title:** Invisible  
**Now ****written by:** Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
Taken over by: Yue Guang Kuroneko

--

"You can't be serious,"

"Does it look like I'm teasing you?"

"No, but that doesn't mean you aren't,"

"What an intelligent observation you have made,"

"Don't try to get yourself out of this debate with your irritating sarcasm."

"Oh, am I being sarcastic?"

"You know, sometimes I really hate you,"

"Now you're resorting to pure verbal abuse, Haruhi. That's not very mature."

"This entire situation isn't mature, so it's not my fault."

"This conversation isn't getting anywhere, you two."

"We don't care."

Haruhi glared at Kyouya when she realized that they said it at the same time and managed to retaliate his idle smirk with a shake of her head before she returned her attention to Kaoru. "I'm sorry, where were we?"

"Well, we were discussing how we were going to talk to Hikaru," Kaoru shook his head, "before you went off on each other about strategies. I mean, really, you two…"

"I, for one, think that…"

"We're not using that strategy, Kyouya," Haruhi flashed him a glare. "I think just sitting down with him and talking will be better."

"I don't know about that," Kaoru let out a sigh as he leaned back in his seat. "He's been ignoring me purposely the past two days."

Haruhi joined in on the sighing and dropped her head forward onto the polished table.

The Host Club had officially disbanded yesterday, and it seems that talking to Tamaki now would be unwise—especially since Kyouya managed to push a few of Tamaki's buttons and incurred the poor blonde's wrath. She didn't feel quite as sorry for him as she would have but…no, now was not the time to think about it.

"Haru-chan!"

She raised her head as she recognized that cute voice and pet name, "Hunny-senpai!"

She smiled at the two seniors who joined them in one of the smaller libraries on campus like they usually did after their clubs the past few days. It was like the Host Club all over again, except she didn't have to worry about her debt or spending time with the girls, and they were missing Tamaki and Hikaru.

"How are you, Mori-senpai?" she asked him, feeling her chest being relieved of its current pressure as he seated himself across from herself and Kyouya. Hunny was chatting animatedly with Kaoru about some new cakes that he discovered in their kitchen the other day while the latter nodded with slight interest.

"I'm fine," Mori gave her one of his idle smiles. "And you, Haruhi?"

"I could be better," she said truthfully.

Mori nodded in understanding.

"Have you come up with a plan to talk to Hika-chan and Tama-chan yet?" Hunny joined in on their conversation, plopping himself on the chair next to Mori as he hugged his bunny tightly.

"Talking to Tamaki is impossible," Kyouya spoke up, almost with fatigue. "We're giving him some time to calm down."

"You shouldn't have said those things to him, Kyouya," Haruhi reprimanded him; reminding him that he was the reason they were still hated by Tamaki. "He was angry enough when I went in to talk to him…"

"He made me angry," Kyouya admitted absentmindedly. "He said that there was no way that you would be attracted to a heartless snake like me."

The group was silent; they all understood that Kyouya thought very highly of Tamaki (in terms of friendship, anyway) and to be seen as a heartless snake from Tamaki's point of view was enough to break any mortal's heart. Then again, Ootori Kyouya probably surpassed mortality a long time ago.

Haruhi smiled at him and slipped her hand in his. She was aware that Kyouya was actually a very humane person. Granted, he was frightening when he was angry and his mind worked in ways that she couldn't comprehend, but he was a very passionate person and dedicated himself to his friends.

"Don't worry," Hunny's smile seemed uncertain for a moment. "He'll come around."

"You had a run-in with him too, didn't you?" Kyouya questioned the seniors suspiciously.

"Yes," Mori said truthfully as Hunny slapped a hand over his own mouth as if ashamed that he blurted out a secret. "Just before we've arrived."

"Do we even want to know what Tono wants?" Kaoru groaned as he let his head fall back so that he stared blankly at the ceiling.

At that very moment, Hunny burst into tears and began sobbing into his Bun-Bun.

"Hunny-senpai!" Haruhi cried out in shock as she rushed to his side to comfort him.

"He said that he would rather be alone for the rest of his life than have anything to do with us," Mori said monotonously as if it didn't affect him at all.

"Let's get this solved quick," Kaoru sighed. "This is so tiring."

"I'll speak with Hikaru," Kyouya spoke up thoughtfully.

"No way," Haruhi reacted quickly. "If you're going to talk to him, I'm coming with you!" And then, under her breath, she muttered, "Because you just might enrage him like you did with Tamaki-senpai…"

"Did you say something, Haruhi?"

"Not at all,"

"Well, I know for sure that he won't be talking to me," Kaoru said almost jealously.

"Takashi and I can talk to Hika-chan!" Hunny said cheerfully, as if he hadn't burst into tears a few moments ago. "Leave him to us, Haru-chan!"

Haruhi gazed at Hunny's wide, sweet smile and suddenly felt a shiver pass up her spine. There was no way she should underestimate their beloved loli-shota host.

She appreciated their sentiments

"I think it would be better if they spoke to him, Mitsukuni," Mori spoke up before Haruhi had a chance to convince the small senior to pull out of his plans.

"Yes," Kyouya spoke up, "we appreciate your generosity, Hunny-senpai, but I am quite sure that Haruhi would like to be the one to speak with him."

"Then it's settled," Kaoru smiled at them all. "You are all invited to the Hitachiin mansion for dinner tonight, and Haruhi can speak with Hikaru then."

Haruhi nervously adjusted the dress that her father forced onto her. She wasn't uncomfortable in girly clothes; she just preferred wearing comfortable, boyish clothes. Tonight, however, she fussed awkwardly in her dress as she gazed out of the window of the Ootori limo.

She worried about plenty of problems that may arise during the dinner or even the conversation with Hikaru. Kyouya wanted to talk to him with her, but she managed to persuade him to drop his idea entirely. Or, at least she thought she did.

"I still think I should talk to him with you," Kyouya spoke up quietly as their fingers entwined with the other's.

"Kyouya," Haruhi sighed lightly, "We've been through this. It would be better if I talked to him myself."

"After his first attempt to separate us, I don't think I can trust him alone with you."

"I won't fall for anything he has planned, Kyouya," Haruhi poked slight fun at him.

Kyouya's dark eyes narrowed. He gazed out of the window as he muttered, "I hope you're right about that."

"And besides," she was desperate to comfort him now, "didn't Hikaru tell you that he's given up on the entire ordeal?"

"If he really has given up, don't you think he'd talk to Kaoru rather than ignore his own twin for such a long period of time?"

"That may be true," Haruhi said, tightening her hold on Kyouya's hand. "Well, perhaps he's just upset and just needs some time to think."

"Why are you protecting him?"

"I don't want to accuse him of anything until we're sure!" Haruhi defended herself. "It's unfair of us to blame him for reasons we don't have proof of!"

Kyouya was quiet the rest of the way to the Hitachiin mansion, and Haruhi wasn't in much of a rush to pursue the subject. After all, she was extremely nervous, and she really didn't want to lose another close friend of hers.

"Master Ootori, we've arrived at the Hitachiin mansion," called the driver from his seat in the front.

"Thank you," Kyouya said, "give us a moment, please."

"Yes, sir,"

He turned towards her and pulled her close. Embraced by his warmth, she immediately relaxed and allowed her arms to wrap around his waist. She buried her face into his white shirt, inhaling the comforting and familiar scent of sandalwood, coffee, and newspaper.

"We can get through this together, Haruhi," she heard him whisper into her hair. "If you need me, just call for me. I'll be there in less than a minute."

"Because you'll be listening in on us, isn't that right?" she teased him as she pulled away to gaze up at him through laughing eyes. "You'll be right at the door."

"Yes," he answered truthfully.

Haruhi laughed wholeheartedly as she hugged him tightly once more.

"Master Ootori,"

"All right; thank you for waiting, Kazuma,"

She smiled at the old driver as he opened the door for her. She thanked him sincerely and received a small smile in reply.

"Haruhi!" Kaoru's voice could be heard at the large French-styled doors, and she gazed up to find him at the top of the stairs.

Haruhi laughed and waved back at him as she waited for Kyouya to finish giving the driver instructions. "Thank you, Kazuma,"

"You're welcome, sir,"

She studied Kyouya carefully. He looked tired, and that worried her. He had to deal with his family (which probably takes up a lot of his time), and now he had to worry about their relationship together. It made her feel loved, surely, but she didn't want him to exert himself either.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as they walked up the steps. "You seem rather tired."

"I'm fine," he brushed off her concerns. "Nothing I can't handle."

Haruhi said nothing else, knowing that any further inquiries would annoy him.

"Where's Hikaru?" she asked curiously when they reached the top. Kaoru was the only one there to greet them.

"He's getting ready," Kaoru said delicately. "Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai won't be here until a little later."

"Is that so?" Kyouya pushed his spectacles up his elegant nose. "Are you sure he hasn't locked himself up in a room somewhere?"

Haruhi saw Kaoru cringe at Kyouya's perceptiveness. "Kaoru, why don't I talk to him now?"

"I wouldn't advise it," Kaoru started, but Haruhi walked past him, already intent on finding the stubborn twin. "Haruhi?"

"Don't worry," she smiled at them. "I'll find him."

"I'm coming with you," Kyouya began to walk towards her.

"No," she shook her head lightly, surprising him into stopping. "I want to talk to Hikaru alone, Kyouya."

"We'll wait for Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai then," Kaoru placed a calm hand on Kyouya's stiff shoulder. "He's in one of the rooms of the third floor. Good luck, Haruhi."

Haruhi waved to them cheerfully as she made her way up the stairs. Without Kyouya's interference, Hikaru will probably be easier to talk to. Also, he had a couple of days to simmer down (as opposed to Tamaki who only had a day or so) so she was sure that he wouldn't get violent.

_I can do this,_ she thought to herself as she reached the third floor. _Remember, Haruhi…this is like a court case. You said that this was going to be your very first one. Don't lose your head._

She opened the first door, but found nothing. The second door, nothing. She reached the third door and opened it only to find a very shocked Hikaru on the other side of it, as if reaching for the doorknob.

"Haruhi?"

"Hikaru."

--

**Author's Note:** Hello, everyone –weary- It's been almost three months since I've updated this story. I'll admit that I've been a funk the past couple of months. I was busy with school, home troubles, and whatnot. I've branched off to write short stories, but my self-confidence has been stomped all over, so it's taking me a while to get into the passion of writing again.

I was bored today, since I managed to finish my 5-page paper in less than 24 hours (I wasn't procrastinating, I promise!!) and felt kind of down, so I decided I'd do some gmail cleaning. (I'm the type of person who cleans when she's depressed/stressed.) I went through reviews that have been written for the large variety of stories I've posted, and they almost made me cry. I thank everyone who takes the time to review an author. You have no idea how much an author appreciates feedback and tidbits of their readers' thoughts. I also thank those who are patient with the lack of updates from any author (not just myself), because writers have lives and troubles too.

Point is, thank you all very much for supporting me. I've decided that after I finish Endless Story and Invisible, I will not be writing any more chaptered stories. I will occasionally write the fluffy KyouxHaru fic or MorixHaru fic. If I do manage to write another chaptered story, it will be relatively short, and it will be because someone requested it from me a long time ago. I will finish those stories before posting, so that you all won't have to wait half a year to get an update ;)

Again, thank you! I can't express just how happy I am to be able to read everyone's comments. I especially thank those who give me constructive criticism because I feel like I've been improving by following that advice. I love you all!


	22. Chapter 21

**Title:** Invisible  
**Now ****written by:** Yue Guang Kuroneko  
**Pairing:** KyouyaxHaruhi  
**Rating:** K (for now)

_**Invisible**_  
Taken over by: Yue Guang Kuroneko

--

"Kyouya-senpai,"

Kyouya didn't hear him. He was preoccupied with worries. It wasn't that he didn't trust Haruhi; he'll even admit that he was acting like a child and being too overprotective. In fact, he felt that he was a child, trying to protect an adult from something that he had no power over. All he was doing was worry uselessly.

"Kyouya-senpai," Kaoru waved a hand in front of his face. "You're doing too much excessive worrying." He gave Kaoru a glare, but the boy only laughed, "You know, Kyouya-senpai, Haruhi can handle herself very well. You really don't have to worry too much about her."

"I know," he sighed, feeling weary all of a sudden, "I know. She doesn't need me to protect her, but I can't _not_ protect her."

"Haruhi would be happy to hear that," Kaoru said as they both stared out at the gates of the Hitachiin estate. "But too much worrying would be like pushing her into a corner."

Kyouya laughed lightly at Kaoru's insight. Yes, that was true. She was far too headstrong and caring to allow him to worry about her so much. It would drive her away from him. "I suppose it would be better to watch her like I've always done."

"Yes," Kaoru smiled and waved at the limo that was arriving at the gates. "I'm sure you'll be the only one who would notice when she needed support."

The limo pulled up slowly and Kyouya stood from his seat on the top step. He noticed that there seemed to be something out of place in the vehicle. The door opened slowly, by one of the Hitachiin servants, and Kyouya was surprised to find a very familiar blond stepping out of the black limousine regally.

"Tamaki," Kyouya heard himself say. His body tensed naturally.

The blond raised his eyes to meet his own, "Kyouya."

"Tono, what are you doing here?" Kaoru asked as he headed down the stairs to greet their King. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai advised me to come," Kyouya still held Tamaki's gaze. "I came to settle something with Kyouya."

Kaoru said nothing and stepped out of the way respectfully, turning to greet the two seniors as they left the limo. Tamaki was making his way up the stairs, eyes still holding Kyouya's. Kyouya gazed down at the blond suspiciously, remembering the all-too-close encounter he had with a vase Tamaki had thrown at him.

"Kyouya,"

"Tamaki."

--

"What are you doing here, Haruhi?" Hikaru backed away from the door. Haruhi took this opportunity to slip into the room and closed the door behind her.

"I want to talk to you," she smiled up at him. "May I?"

Hikaru mumbled, "I guess," as he turned around and seated himself in an antique chair by the curtained window. "What do you want to talk about?"

Haruhi stepped past him and drew the curtains, letting the sunlight seep its warmth into the now-lightened room. She unlatched the lock and pushed the window open. As she did all of this, she could feel Hikaru's eyes on her figure, but chose to ignore it as she felt the cool breeze whirl past her.

She didn't feel threatened. She wasn't frightened. If anything, she was more determined than ever. "Hikaru."

"Yes?"

Haruhi turned towards him, smiling lightly, "I'm sorry." His amber eyes widened as she shrugged lightly. "I know that it might not help you understand, or help you overcome any of the pain that I may have caused you—" she was cut off as Hikaru stood and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Hikaru?"

His only reply was to tighten his arms around her. Sighing lightly with an understanding smile, she whispered "thank you" into his ear.

At those words, Hikaru broke down in her arms. All she could do now was comfort him in the only way she knew how: quietly and gently. She soothed him with her silence and her tender hand.

After a long moment, Hikaru pulled away from her, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. She stood patiently, awaiting the words that seemed to be choking him.

"I wish you happiness, Haruhi," he finally said, eyes holding hers carefully. He let a smile slip and Haruhi could feel her own eyes water.

"Thank you," she smiled brilliantly at him. "Thank you, Hikaru."

"Go back down," he said to her as he escorted her out of the room. "I'll get changed and join you all in a moment."

"All right," she stepped out of the room. "Don't take too long."

"I won't," he smiled down at her in that confident smile of his. "I will need to speak to Kyouya-senpai anyway."

Haruhi laughed as she headed back down the stairs. Her heart was feeling lighter than ever, and there was a spring in her step. Once she reached the bottom stairs, her heart seemed to stop.

"Tamaki-senpai!"

Tamaki and Kyouya, who seemed to be having a staring contest with one another, both looked in her direction. The expression on their faces varied: Tamaki looked pained and Kyouya looked surprised.

"Haruhi," Tamaki murmured as he stepped past Kyouya. His eyes were filled with tears. "Haruhi…"

Haruhi gazed past Tamaki at Kyouya and found a cool expression on his face. He was watching her, but she knew that he wasn't trying to keep her on a leash. Instead, she saw the subtle flicker of determination in his eyes, one that reflected her own, and she smiled. She gazed up at Tamaki now, holding his eyes calmly.

"Tamaki-senpai," she said clearly.

He held up a hand to stop her, "I know what you're going to say, Haruhi, so I don't need to hear it. I came to talk to both you and Kyouya."

Haruhi allowed her eyes to wander over to Kyouya again. He was now on the move to her side. Feeling his presence next to hers helped calm the jumpy nerves that were making her stomach sick.

"I'm sorry," Tamaki said with an elaborate sigh. "I wanted us to stay a family. If we could stay that way forever, I would have been the happiest man on earth. But I realized that it was selfish of me to feel that way." He gazed up at Kyouya, "Kyouya, I was angry that you were the one Haruhi chose. She chose the person whom I loved as a brother and friend; you can say that I was jealous that our beloved daughter chose you over me."

"So you realized that you were in love with Haruhi, tono?" Hikaru's voice joined them. "It took you long enough."

Tamaki let out a laugh at Hikaru's comment, "It took you longer."

"True," Hikaru sighed as he stepped past them to where his brother and their seniors stood silently.

"Tamaki," Haruhi gazed up at Kyouya as he spoke in his deep voice. "I will apologize for being the cause of your frustrations, but I will not apologize for loving her."

"I know, I know," Tamaki said quickly, "I don't want any apologies from either one of you. I have been acting very selfishly the past few days. I couldn't understand why Haruhi didn't choose me. But, Kyouya, you are my best friend, and I know you the best. I know you are not cold-hearted; you always want to seem incapable of emotion, but you were always a good friend to me.

"It was so apparent, you know," Tamaki continued, "that you two would eventually realize your feelings. I've watched the both of you. The longer I watched, the more I realized that you were made for each other. The intellectual conversations, the idle glance—I missed nothing. Even so, I didn't want to admit to it." Tamaki took a deep breath, holding her eyes deeply, "I am sorry for everything."

Haruhi smiled at Tamaki and patted his hand lightly, words stuck in her throat as she grasped them tightly. She lifted his hands to her forehead and whispered, for the fourth time today, "Thank you."

Tamaki's eyes softened, and he hugged her tightly to his chest, "No, Haruhi, thank _you_. You will always be my precious daughter." He released her and turned towards a still-emotionless Kyouya. It was just a single glance before Tamaki hugged him tightly. "You will always be my greatest friend, Kyouya. I don't know how I'd be able to make amends."

"Don't worry about it," Kyouya patted him on the back awkwardly. Haruhi stifled a giggle. "Your blessing is enough,"

"YAY!" Hunny skipped up to them, his large light-brown eyes filled with happy tears. "We're a family again!"

Haruhi wasn't quite sure what happened, but the entire mansion was filled with laughter and noise. Her beloved Host Club were gathered together, talking, arguing, and laughing; it made her feel very warm inside. She seated herself at the bottom step of the grand staircase and watched as Kyouya was surrounded by their friends and their teasing.

His eyes met hers and she smiled at him. He returned her smile easily and slipped out of the group, leaving them to laugh amongst themselves.

"Hey," she laughed as he straightened his shirt in annoyance.

"Is something the matter?" he asked her as he straightened his tie.

"You are very perceptive, Ootori Kyouya," she shook her head in disbelief. "It's amazing."

"Mm," he slipped an arm around her, kissing her temple lightly. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," she said, gazing at their friends fondly. "We have such wonderful friends, don't we?"

"I suppose we do," he said thoughtfully.

"You know," she turned towards him, "you kept that promise well."

"True love overcomes any obstacle, my dear," he teased her lightly. "It had nothing to do with me."

"How modest of you,"

"Why, thank you."

"I was being sarcastic."

"No, you weren't. You're a horrid liar, Haruhi."

"And you're too good at it," she poked him in the chest.

"What can I say? I'm a businessman,"

"And I'll be a lawyer,"

"It's a perfect match, don't you think?"

"Now you're getting too large-headed."

"Confidence is the key to success,"

"Not really,"

"Do you doubt me?"

"Yes,"

"I'm hurt."

"No, you aren't; you're too confident for that."

"Ah, and so I've succeeded,"

"You're impossible."

"I know," he smiled down at her. "But you're just as impossible as I am."

"What's important to you, Kyouya? Are they still your assets and money?"

"No," he said after a moment's pause, "not anymore."

"Oh?" she could feel a smile finding its way to her face.

"I think I prefer invisible things to materialistic things."

"What sort of invisible things?" Haruhi asked him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Emotions," she watched him as he closed his eyes and allowed a smile on his lips. "Friendship. Goals. Love." He looked down at her.

"Really," she attempted to keep her smile at bay. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"What is this? 20 questions?"

"Maybe,"

Kyouya let out a laugh, silencing the group in front of them.

"What are you guys doing over there?" Tamaki tsk'd at them. "Come join us!"

"Yes," Kaoru smiled as he held Hikaru's hand tightly. "Come join us."

"Don't think we're separated now because we let you two be together," Hikaru pouted at them.

"Come, come!" Hunny smiled at them brightly on top of Mori's shoulders. Mori only smiled at them.

"We're coming," Haruhi laughed as she stood. Kyouya stood along with her and slipped his hand into hers.

Together, they walked towards their friends' outstretched arms, surrounded by the important, invisible things that they all held dearly in their hearts.

**--The End--**

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for supporting this fanfic, everyone! I planned on this ending for quite some time already, and I am glad that Wraith-san started this series that managed to catch everyone's interests! If he ever reads this, I hope I didn't screw this up for him too much. And if I did, I hope to goodness that he'll finish it himself, in his own way, and lets me post them up over the crappy chapters that I've written!

One fic down, one more to go! The rest will be oneshots of the married life of Kyouya and Haruhi in accordance with Kimi no Koe and Touch of Serenity, or just cute oneshots that I have written down somewhere.

Thank you to all of the supporters out there who have taken the time to read this story. Thanks to all of my beloved reviewers who have encouraged me! I hope you enjoy the rest of Endless Story! And please keep supporting KyouxHaru! KyouxHaru will take over TamaxHaru one day. I'll see to that! ;)


End file.
